Wantage Hall
Encyclopedia
Wantage Hall, built 1908, is the oldest hall of residence
at the University of Reading
. The hall is in the town of Reading
in the UK
. The displayed motto "Astra castra, Numen lumen" (the stars are my camp, the deity my light) is that of the Knights of the Maccabees
. The hall is situated just off the University's Whiteknights Campus
, twenty minutes walk from the town centre, ten minutes from the University library and five minutes from the Royal Berkshire Hospital
. Christchurch Green, with shops and buses to the town, is nearby. Wantage Hall is one of 13 Halls belonging to the University of Reading. Wantage Hall enjoys its own independent Library. Wantage Hall Librarian 2006-7, James Dennison, completed a major redevelopment of the Library and it is now regularly open after years of being dormant. The Hall is renowned within the university for its formal dinners, which often sell out. It currently offers students 19 catered meals a week, accommodating 245 students.
It is believed to be the first purpose-built hall outside Oxford and Cambridge, and is designed in the Oxford college style; with a clock tower and a lawned quadrangle. The hall was donated by Lady Harriet Wantage in memory of her husband Lord Robert Loyd-Lindsay, 1st Baron Wantage. Wantage Hall was built in 1908 and served as the Headquarters of RAF Reserve Command
during World War II
; a new court was added in 1970.
Since 2004 there has also been a Hogwarts dinner between the Burns' Supper and Easter Formal - whilst initially dominated by Slytherin, the House Cup has, for the last two years, been won by Ravenclaw. In the 2011 Hogwarts dinner, Hufflepuff were the winners of the House Cup.
Every summer there is a concert in the quad.
Certainly until at least the 1990s this was known only as Sheep Night and was not necessaily associated with protests (except the 1928 Sheep Night as cited above). Membership of the small committee was always secret - each new committee being selected by the previous one - and legend records the existence of a large leather-bound tome in which all details and committee memberships, trials and tribulations are/were recorded.
, after exams have finished, when croquet
is played on the grass. During Fresher's Week, it is tradition for members of the JCR committee to call a 'quad run'. After the bell is rung in the Bar announcing this, all those in the Bar must immediately proceed upstairs to the quad, and do a full lap of the quad in just their underwear.
was organised in the mould of Primary School sports days. Until at least 1956, Opit was a garden party in the Quad, although by the early 1990's had moved to the spacious walled garden behind 'Lawn' annexe - which at that time was used as student accommodation - had started to develop the light-hearted sports-day theme, and had become something of a 'real ale beer festival', part of the duties of the hall committee's bar-rep. It evolved into a water fight and BBQ some time after that period.
[1956], a feature film starring Ian Carmichael
and Richard Attenborough
had scenes filmed in and around Wantage Hall. These include the quad, as well as the Warden's former office which now represents 'R' block and the current Senior Common Room.
F. Spencer Chapman
1966 to 1971
Professor Trevor Evans FRS 1971 to 1984
Dr Chris Gayford 1984 to 1995
Dr John Macdonald 1995 to 2010 (Summer)
Dr Fred Davis 2010 (Summer)
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
at the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
. The hall is in the town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The displayed motto "Astra castra, Numen lumen" (the stars are my camp, the deity my light) is that of the Knights of the Maccabees
Knights of the Maccabees
Knights of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization formed in 1878 in London, Ontario, Canada. A related but separate organization, "Maccabees of the World", was also established, the two merging under the title "The Knights of the Maccabees of the World" , later shortened to the Maccabees in...
. The hall is situated just off the University's Whiteknights Campus
Whiteknights Park
Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis.Whiteknights Park is some two miles south of the centre of the town...
, twenty minutes walk from the town centre, ten minutes from the University library and five minutes from the Royal Berkshire Hospital
Royal Berkshire Hospital
The Royal Berkshire Hospital is a National Health Service hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.The...
. Christchurch Green, with shops and buses to the town, is nearby. Wantage Hall is one of 13 Halls belonging to the University of Reading. Wantage Hall enjoys its own independent Library. Wantage Hall Librarian 2006-7, James Dennison, completed a major redevelopment of the Library and it is now regularly open after years of being dormant. The Hall is renowned within the university for its formal dinners, which often sell out. It currently offers students 19 catered meals a week, accommodating 245 students.
History
RAF Home Command
RAF Home Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for the maintenance and training of reserve organisations from formation on 1 February 1939 as RAF Reserve Command with interruptions until it ceased to exist on 1 April 1959.-History:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; a new court was added in 1970.
Facilities
Wantage Hall's facilities include the dining hall which is wood panelled and lined with portraits of Lord and Lady Wantage and various Vice Chancellors of the University. The Junior Common Room acts as the main area for activities such as hustings during election time, and on a daily basis provides newspapers and a general meeting place with television. Other Facilities include a traditional Bar, a Library, a Computer Room, an additional TV room with Sky television, as well as a laundry room and a music room with a piano. There is also gym equipment situated in the basement beneath 'B' block, however this is currently out of use.Junior Common Room Committee
Fourteen students are elected annually to represent their peers within the hall and to organise events. This committee runs the JCR, puts on events and uses JCR fees to fund events for the students. The three major annual events organised by the JCR committee are the Summer Ball, Freshers Week, and RAGs (Raise and Give) Week, although social events continue throughout the year. The committee has a written constitution which governs its relations with the student population and governance within the committee.Formal Dinners
- Freshers Formal
- Founder's Dinner
- Christmas Formal
- Burns' Supper
- Easter Formal
- Graduand's Dinner
Since 2004 there has also been a Hogwarts dinner between the Burns' Supper and Easter Formal - whilst initially dominated by Slytherin, the House Cup has, for the last two years, been won by Ravenclaw. In the 2011 Hogwarts dinner, Hufflepuff were the winners of the House Cup.
Concert in the Quad
Sheep Night / Black Sheep Night
An annual tradition in Wantage Hall is that of putting sheep in the quad as an act of defiance against a chosen topic, or of performing some other act involving several of the hapless wooly creatures. On occasion sheep have appeared in several alternate and bizarre university locations (to the consternation of campus security), and when weather and/or circumstances precluded the presence of live animals, sheep-themed actions have maintained the tradition. This dates back to 1928, when students put sheep in the quad as an act of protest against the Warden's decision to lock any students out of the hall if they had not returned by midnight. This tradition has been carried on intermittently since and with various themes by the 'Black Sheep Committee' (which is appointed annually). During the 2005-6 academic year, the choice of protest for the day was against the lecturers' strike.Certainly until at least the 1990s this was known only as Sheep Night and was not necessaily associated with protests (except the 1928 Sheep Night as cited above). Membership of the small committee was always secret - each new committee being selected by the previous one - and legend records the existence of a large leather-bound tome in which all details and committee memberships, trials and tribulations are/were recorded.
Man-o-Man Competition
The highlight of the every 'RAGs Weeks' is the annual 'Man-o-Man' competition. This involves around 5 of the hall's men taking part in a number of challenges and events one evening in the Bar with the aim of raising as much money as possible. Whoever raises the most money, is crowned Mr. Wantage of that year. The gruelling set of challenges and events are arranged by the JCR who ensure that all of the candidates are extremely drunken. The evening culminates with all of the contestants taking part in a striptease and running around (a generally packed) Bar naked, trying to collect as much of people's money as they can.Quad Traditions
Only graduates are allowed to walk on the grass of the quad. The only exception to this is during the summer termSummer term
Summer term is the name of the summer academic term at many British schools and universities and elsewhere in the world.In the UK, 'Summer term' runs from the Easter holiday until the end of the academic year in June or July, and thus corresponds to the Easter term at Cambridge University, and...
, after exams have finished, when croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
is played on the grass. During Fresher's Week, it is tradition for members of the JCR committee to call a 'quad run'. After the bell is rung in the Bar announcing this, all those in the Bar must immediately proceed upstairs to the quad, and do a full lap of the quad in just their underwear.
Opit
Every summer term following exams, a mass water fight known as Opit is held on the grass behind Lawn Anex. A bar-b-que is provided by the catering staff. In 2006, in addition to the water fight, an entire Sports DaySports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
was organised in the mould of Primary School sports days. Until at least 1956, Opit was a garden party in the Quad, although by the early 1990's had moved to the spacious walled garden behind 'Lawn' annexe - which at that time was used as student accommodation - had started to develop the light-hearted sports-day theme, and had become something of a 'real ale beer festival', part of the duties of the hall committee's bar-rep. It evolved into a water fight and BBQ some time after that period.
Private's Progress
Private's ProgressPrivate's Progress
Private's Progress is a 1956 British comedy film based on the novel by Alan Hackney. It was directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting, from a script by John Boulting and Frank Harvey.-Plot:...
[1956], a feature film starring Ian Carmichael
Ian Carmichael
Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE was an English film, stage, television and radio actor.-Early life:Carmichael was born in Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The son of an optician, he was educated at Scarborough College and Bromsgrove School, before training as an actor at RADA...
and Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
had scenes filmed in and around Wantage Hall. These include the quad, as well as the Warden's former office which now represents 'R' block and the current Senior Common Room.
Wardens of the hall
John S.L. Waldie 1938 to 1966F. Spencer Chapman
Freddie Spencer Chapman
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Spencer Chapman, DSO & Bar, ED was a British Army officer and World War II veteran, most famous for his exploits behind enemy lines in Japanese occupied Malaya...
1966 to 1971
Professor Trevor Evans FRS 1971 to 1984
Dr Chris Gayford 1984 to 1995
Dr John Macdonald 1995 to 2010 (Summer)
Dr Fred Davis 2010 (Summer)
Hall alumni
- Rob WilsonRob WilsonRobert Owen Biggs Wilson is a United Kingdom politician and entrepreneur. He was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Reading East parliamentary constituency in the 2005 general election.-Early life:...
, MP Reading (East) - Bernard Smith, Professor of Geology, Queen's University, Belfast
- Aydin Ozturk, Professor of Computer Science, Ege University, Turkey
- Kenneth Surin, Librarian 1971-72, Professor of Literature and Critical Theory, Duke University, USA
- John Yallop, Silver medalist, rowing, 1976 Olympic Games
- Rene Ng Kee Kwong, Biology Commissioner of Mauritius