The Blue Boar Quadrangle is a
mid-century
''Mid-Century'' is a 2022 American horror thriller film directed by Sonja O'Hara and written and produced by Mike Stern. The film stars Bruce Dern, Stephen Lang and Shane West, with the latter two also serving as executive producers.
Plot
In 19 ...
quadrangle within
Christ Church,
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
. Designed by
Hidalgo Moya
John Hidalgo Moya (5 May 1920 – 3 August 1994), sometimes known as Jacko Moya, was an American-born architect who lived and worked largely in England.
Biography
Born 5 May 1920 in Los Gatos, California, US, to an English mother and Mexican f ...
and
Philip Powell, and built between 1965 and 1968, the quadrangle has been described by
Lord McIntosh of Haringey as "one of the best buildings of its kind during the expansion of higher education". Since 17 October 2006, the quadrangle has held the classification of being
Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
, due to the unique nature of its 1960s architecture.
The quadrangle is primarily used to house Christ Church's first year undergraduates. It is located just to the south of the historic
Blue Boar Street
Blue Boar Street is a narrow historic street running between St Aldate's to the west and the southern end of Alfred Street to the east, in central Oxford, England. It is located just north of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church.
At the weste ...
, off
St Aldate's, hence the name. Blue Boar underwent a substantial renovation from 2007 to 2008, resulting in the conversion of all rooms to modern en-suites.
Usage
The quadrangle, which consists of 75 student rooms, 9 small teaching rooms, and 1 senior member set, in
Christ Church, Oxford, hosts mainly first years during term time and interviewees and conference guests during the
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
,
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
and Long Vacations. The accommodation consists of mostly medium-sized rooms with a desk, bed, fridge and window seat, with en-suite facilities. With the large double-glazed windows, the rooms are light.
Architecture
Blue Boar Quadrangle was built on the site of an old car park and garages, next to the narrow, high-walled
Blue Boar Street
Blue Boar Street is a narrow historic street running between St Aldate's to the west and the southern end of Alfred Street to the east, in central Oxford, England. It is located just north of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church.
At the weste ...
.
The quadrangle was designed so that the top floor penthouses provide a broken, set-back series of horizontal planes that help to reduce the scale of the development seen from the street and is constructed almost entirely of characteristic
Portland Whitbed
Portland Independent Top Whitbed is the variety of Portland stone used to build the Ashton Memorial in Lancaster, England, Lancaster. It originates from Independent quarries on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England.
See also
*List of typ ...
and
Roach Stone, which adds a unique quality absent from most 1960s developments. The quad itself is an 'L' shape, the rectangular nature being interrupted by the old college brewhouse. The staircases are of four storeys. Staircase four houses a seminar/break-out room and a lecture theatre. The quadrangle is accessed via a new (2007) route which leads from the path between Peckwater and Tom Quads behind
Killcanon and brings you straight into the middle of the Blue Boar Quad. This is for students only, but is repeatedly defied by tourists in an attempt to see Oxford students in their 'natural habitat'.
The quadrangle has been described as "One of the best buildings of its kind during the expansion of higher education" by
Lord McIntosh of Haringey, Minister for
Culture, Media and Sport. The quadrangle has held the classification of
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...
since 17 October 2006, a status shared by only 20,000 other structures in the country due to the unique nature of its 1960s architecture.
See also
*
Tom Quad
The Great Quadrangle, more popularly known as Tom Quad, is one of the quadrangles of Christ Church, Oxford, England. It is the largest college quad in Oxford, measuring 264 by 261 feet. Although it was begun by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525–1529, ...
*
Peckwater Quadrangle
The Peckwater Quadrangle (known as "Peck" to students) is one of the quadrangles of Christ Church, Oxford, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
Christ Church Library is on the south side of the quad. To the southeast is Canterbury Quad ...
*
Meadow Building
*
Christ Church Library
Christ Church Library is a Georgian architecture, Georgian building that forms the south side of Peckwater Quadrangle in Christ Church, Oxford, England. To the east is Canterbury Quadrangle. The library houses the college's modern lending librar ...
References
External links
*{{National Heritage List for England, num=1408741, desc=Blue Boar Quadrangle, grade=II*, access-date=15 June 2015
University and college buildings completed in 1968
1968 establishments in the United Kingdom
Christ Church, Oxford
Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford
Parks and open spaces in Oxford
Courtyards
Grade II* listed buildings in Oxford