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Keble was founded in 1870 in memory of John Keble, who was passionate about promoting and

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Keble was founded in 1870 in memory of John Keble, who was passionate about promoting and reclaiming the Catholic heritage of the Church of England. Fellow enthusiasts were known as Tractarians (or The Oxford Movement) and it was they that funded the college with the twin aims of ecclesiastical reform and an express desire of making a first rate Oxford education more widely available. The benefactor of the chapel, William Gibbs, was a businessman who made his fortune dealing in Peruvian bird droppings, which was used as a fertiliser. Awesome reputation for sport Keble is one of the largest colleges in the university with around 225 postgraduates and 443 undergraduates and has an even mix of men and women. It has one of the biggest and …show more content…

This wasn’t just revival Gothic, this was Butterfield revival Gothic and he gave the chapel the same treatment. Colourful mosaics, tiles and stained glass fill the interior, delighting the senses. William Holman Hunt’s original famous painting; ‘The light of the World’ hangs in the adjoining side chapel. Even at the time the designs drew criticism for being over elaborate. A French visitor thought it was magnificent but better suited as a railway station. St John’s of course hated it and even set up a secret society that demanded a red brick be stolen from Keble to qualify for membership. Greater status was given to members who provided a rarer cream brick. The intention was to cause the college to crumble – time no object. The rivalry between the two colleges remains. Four Quadrangles and attractive gardens The college consists of four traditional quads: Pusey, Liddon, Haywood and Newman, along with gardens that have recently had a major ‘make-over’. Butterfield had not included any plantings on his original drawings, believing they would be a distraction from his carefully constructed work. However time and his fading influence finally gave way to the, not surprising desire, to add a little greenery to the boarders. A number of significant modern additions have come from cutting edge architects including Rick Mather. The absolutely fabulous futuristic bar opened in 1977 and is the work of Ahrends, Burton and Koralek. Keble

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