H. B. Allen Centre
| H B Allen Centre | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The courtyard of the H B Allen Centre | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 25 Banbury Road |
| Town or city | Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°45′39″N 1°15′39″W / 51.76097°N 1.26091°W |
| Opened | 3 October 2019 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Rick Mather |
| Architecture firm | MICA |
The H B Allen Centre is the graduate centre of Keble College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.
Background
[edit]The H B Allen Centre is named for Heather Barbara "Mickie" Allen, founder of the H B Allen Charitable Trust. Ms. Allen was a descendant of the founder of Beefeater Gin, James Burrough,[1] and also donated to RNLI for lifeboats in Padstow. The trust contributed a £25 million capital grant to assist with construction and fitting out of the new site.[2]
Construction
[edit]The centre was built on the site of the former Acland Hospital. Part of the old hospital, the Sarah Acland House, is a Grade II listed building, and a significant challenge in construction was preserving this structure.[3]
The H B Allen Centre was officially opened on 3 October 2019 (a year behind schedule) by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.[4]
Facilities
[edit]The centre includes accommodation for 230 full-time graduates, as well as common area including two multipurpose rooms, laundry facilities, a gym, a café, and lecture theatre.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Gin heiress' £2m lifeboat legacy". 25 October 2005.
- ^ a b "The H B Allen Centre". Keble College. Keble College, Oxford. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Eckersley O'Callaghan – Engineers – Keble College H B Allen Centre". www.eocengineers.com. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Duke of Cambridge opens Oxford University's H B Allen Centre". BBC News. UK: BBC. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.