Wills Hall

Wills Hall is one of more than twenty halls of residence in the University of Bristol. It is located high on the Stoke Bishop site on the edge of the Bristol Downs, and houses c. 370 students in two quadrangles. Almost all of these students are in their first year of study.

Wills Hall
University of Bristol
Inside Old Quad as seen from centre lawn
LocationStoke Bishop, Bristol, England
Coordinates51.4784°N 2.6229°W / 51.4784; -2.6229
MottoPro Aris et Focis (Latin)
Motto in EnglishFor our altars and our hearths
FounderGeorge Alfred Wills
Established1929
ArchitectSir George Oatley
Residents370
Websitewww.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Wills/home.htm
Map
Location in Bristol

History

The name Wills Hall reflects the university's connection with the Wills family. The fortune made by their famous tobacco empire, W. D. & H. O. Wills and later Imperial Tobacco, enabled Henry Overton Wills III to fund the University's foundation in 1908 with a pledge of £100,000 and he financed many of its finest buildings, such as the Wills Memorial Building. His son George Alfred Wills provided the money to build a hall of residence in memory of his brother Henry Herbert Wills on the site of Downside House, formerly the residence of the Georges, a family of Bristol brewers.

George Alfred Wills originally planned to base the residence around Goldney Hall in Clifton, next to Clifton Hill House. However, the Warden of the all-female Clifton Hill House felt that having so many young men so close to her residents would pose a significant risk and demanded that the new hall be sited at least two miles away. Thus Downside House in Stoke Bishop was purchased, and a quadrangle of accommodation blocks erected around it according to the design of Sir George Oatley, with the rooms arranged on staircases (called "houses", A to N). It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.[1] A Latin inscription on the exterior of the dining hall dedicated the hall to Henry Herbert.

Downside House, once the Warden's Lodge, now temporary staff accommodation

Wills Hall was officially opened by Winston Churchill in 1929, then the Chancellor of the University. When he returned to open Churchill Hall in the late 1950s, he allowed himself to be "kidnapped" and his "release" was allowed only after he signed the following statement, that used to be displayed in the Warden's House at Wills, but which is now in the University's Special Collections Department:

"I Winston Spencer Churchill MP, CH Chancellor of the University of Bristol, Declare There be No Finer Hostel Than Wills Hall Among The Universities of the British Empire".[2]

The initial quadrangle sufficed until rising student numbers precipitated the building of a further accommodation block, an L-shaped configuration of three linked houses (X, Y and Z) which was opened in 1961. Another expansion, in 1990, included a further accommodation block arranged on three floors (U, V and W), which featured en-suite rooms and a conference centre, the better to place the University in the conference market, which was becoming an important source of revenue.[3] Together with X, Y and Z houses, the new development completed a quadrangle now known as New Quad, the original accommodation being Old Quad. At some points in the Hall's history the "Cambridge" tradition of referring to what Oxford calls "quads" as "courts" has predominated, and whilst at present the norm is to refer to "Old Quad" and "New Quad" for the accommodation blocks, the space next to the JCR Bar is still always known as the "Old Court Lounge".

Wills was founded as an all-male institution and was the last hall to accept both sexes: it went mixed in 1985, despite opposition from some traditionalists, but with the enthusiastic support of most students. In that year, 70 women took up residence alongside 200 men, and over the next few years the numbers of women residents rose quickly. Wills today is usually equally balanced between the sexes. The first woman JCR president was Elise O'Connor, elected in 1986; one of the first women residents, Jane Thompson, became Deputy Warden in 1987.

Facilities
The Old Quad in the snow
Back of Old Quad as seen from the Cedar Lawn

Wills Hall has a bar that is open once a week and staffed by students and former residents. The bar also hosts JCR quizzes, film nights, sports broadcasts and other events. There are theme-nights, including alcohol-free events, "Bond Night", and a "White Party" for the whole hall.

The Monica Wills Chapel was opened in 1930. It hosts a number of services a week (e.g. evensong, compline) for students from all the Stoke Bishop halls, usually on Friday evenings during term-time, and there are well-attended Christmas and Armistice events. It is also used to stage plays and concerts, and houses a grand piano and a harpsichord as well as a fully refurbished organ.

Wills Hall has an oak-panelled dining room, often likened to that of an Oxbridge college, and the Hall's architect, Sir George Oatley, deliberately took inspiration from the proportions and styles of certain Oxford Colleges when making his designs.

The Hall houses tennis and squash courts that are shared with the other halls on the Stoke Bishop Site; there is a croquet lawn (used for an annual croquet tournament, the "Morton / Relph cup"), a table tennis room, and an oak-panelled billiard room. The billiard room was constructed when Downside House was extended in the late 19th century and the fireplace still has the original De Morgan tiles.

Motto

Over the main entrance to Wills Hall can be seen a shield emblazoned with the Wills family crest and their motto "Pro Aris et Focis". This Latin phrase literally means "for our altars and our hearths", but is used by ancient authors to express attachment to all that was most dear and venerable.

Student life

Formals

Formal Hall used to be a weekly tradition within Wills (and in earliest times was held every day), but in the period 2010-2018 "formals" were only held at most every two or three weeks, with some 14-15 such events each year. After the changes implemented by the pastoral review in autumn 2018, formal dinners have been reduced to c. 6 per annum, plus a "Returners' Formal" hosted by the Wills Hall Association. Dress has usually been black tie, and residents wear an academic gown. Latin grace (Benedictus benedicat and Benedicto benedicatur) is said at the beginning of dinner, and in the past there was always a speech during dessert, given either by the Warden or by a notable guest. Speeches were often on contemporary social and political issues, and rejoinders were invited from members of the Hall if the topic was controversial. Speeches are no longer delivered under the new pastoral system, and high table is no longer a focus for guests from within the university and beyond.

Junior Common Room (JCR)

The bar and adjacent Old Court Lounge comprises the "Junior Common Room". The phrase "Junior Common Room" also refers to the whole body of undergraduate residents of the Hall: they elect a JCR Committee annually, which organizes a wide variety of social events, parties, guest nights, debates and quizzes. It sponsors an annual summer event, recently arranged jointly with Badock Hall, the "Founders' Ball".

Organ scholarship

An Organ Scholarship is offered annually by the Hall, funded by donations from former members. The Organ Scholar will usually play for services and some concerts, as well as accompanying the carols at the annual Hall Christmas Formal.

Societies

The Hall's theatrical society, the Wills Hall Amateur Theatrical Society (WHATS), performs musicals, plays and variety shows for audiences from the Stoke Bishop halls and beyond. Recent productions include Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem in 2016.

The discussion club "Barneys" (named after a brand of tobacco that rivalled the Wills products), dates back to the 1930s and is still active, with fortnightly speaker-meetings on Sundays in term time and an annual dinner at which a distinguished guest delivers a speech.

Wills Hall used to publish its own newsletter, The Executor, which was edited by students in hall and was published several times a year. This was the successor to the Wills Hall Loo Sheet, a newsletter that took its name from the fact that it was distributed by being posted in all communal lavatories around the hall. In 2015, a satirical newspaper called The Oracle was published for two issues before being shut down.[4]

Wills Hall Association

Former members of Wills Hall are eligible to join The Wills Hall Association, which has been running since 1930. The Association holds a reunion in Bristol every July, when former members return for a reception in one of the gardens followed by a black-tie dinner in Hall with a notable guest speaker. The Association also holds an annual reception in London in the autumn, a "young members" bar night in London, and a reception that used to be held in the Warden's House (usually in February or March) but will in future take place in the Dame Monica Wills Chapel following the recently instituted Arthur Graves Lecture. Colonel Graves was the fifth Warden of Wills, a kind and popular man, and donations from former residents have allowed the WHA to institute an annual lecture in his memory. The Association also held a dinner to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Hall's opening, which took place in December 2019, and was attended by old members and current residents alike. Lady Hale of Richmond, patron of the Wills Hall Association, attended as Guest of Honour.

The Association produces a Yearbook and a Newsletter.

Controversy

In 2003, as part of the national controversy surrounding claims that British universities were discriminating in favour of public school applicants, The Observer ran an article purporting to highlight class-strife and prejudice in Wills.[5] Letters in reply followed the next week vigorously defending Wills.[6]

In 2008 a Harrow-educated undergraduate at Wills Hall crashed a Mini Cooper in the grounds of the Hall while intoxicated.[7] Vehicles (including the Warden's), beds and other unorthodox objects have mysteriously appeared on the lawn of the Old Quad on many occasions. In May 2017 a large iron sculpture of a dinosaur was transported at night from the Botanical Garden and placed in the centre of high table in the dining hall.

In 2017 there were allegedly incidents of drink-spiking in the Hall's "welcome week", widely reported in the press. None could be medically confirmed as spiking. The Warden and other pastoral staff responded quickly and firmly and no further incidents were reported.[8]

In December 2017 the University announced a new model for pastoral support in the residences, which included the abolition of the posts of Warden, Deputy Warden and Student Support Adviser. Support is now provided from offices in central 'hubs' or 'villages', each serving a group of halls. Wills is served from a hub based in Hiatt Baker Hall. There are a small number of Senior Residents and a Chief Resident (undergraduate and postgraduate students) living on site in Wills Hall, but staff are based in the hub and are contactable in person or by phone 24/7.

The decision to implement a new system of pastoral care generated significant controversy, reflected in the national and local press, partly in the light of Bristol University's regrettable record of student suicides (14 since 2016). The first proposals by the University were modified in February 2018. Students resident in Wills Hall were very prominent in the debate surrounding the changes, leading on a petition that secured thousands of signatures and publishing in student and national newspapers. No action was taken by the University in response to this petition.[9]

Filming

The 2012 BBC television film The Best of Men was filmed at Wills Hall, Manor Hall and Goldney Hall in Bristol.

Wardens

There have been ten Wardens of Wills Hall, the last being made redundant in August 2018, a year short of the Hall's 90th anniversary:

Notable former students

References
  1. "Wills Hall". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  2. M. J. Crossley Evans (1994), A History of Wills Hall University of Bristol. University of Bristol. ISBN 0-86292-421-9.
  3. "Index Communications Meeting Services Newsletter" (PDF). Index Communications Meeting Services. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
  4. Zodas, Livi (12 February 2015). "Cringe pamphlet saying Northerners have AIDS and fat people are 'diseased' distributed in Wills Hall". The Bristol Tab. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. Amelia Hill (9 March 2003). "Inside a university challenged". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
  6. Letters: University entry policy (16 March 2003). "Positive discrimination? Don't insult me". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
  7. Leach, Ben (29 October 2008). "Student wrecks Mini in 'Italian Job' prank". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  8. Telegraph, 21/9/2017 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/09/21/drink-spiking-spate-bristol-university-freshers-week-investigated/; Independent, 22/9/2017 https://www.independent.co.uk/student/freshers-week-drink-spiking-first-year-students-bristol-university-alcohol-date-rape-drugs-a7961436.html; BBC, 21/9/2017 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-41346677; The Tab, 20/9/2017 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2017/09/20/wills-hall-bar-hit-by-spiking-incidences-30389; Epigram, 20/9/17 http://epigram.org.uk/news/2017/09/drink-spiking-reported-wills-hall
  9. BBC, 21.2.18 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-43141136; Guardian 24.12.17 https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2017/dec/24/bristol-university-urged-to-rethink-plans-to-scrap-live-in-pastoral-care; Times 23.1.18 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bristol-students-fight-to-keep-wardens-in-university-halls-hrnswk59t; 27.1.2018 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/we-save-lives-says-bristol-university-pastoral-care-student-suicides-rcv7kn56v; Bristol Post 21.12.17 https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/concerns-bristol-university-plans-axe-957231; Tab 20.12.17 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2017/12/20/confirmed-wardens-set-to-be-axed-in-the-biggest-hall-changes-in-bristols-history-31736; 9.1.18 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2018/01/09/senior-residents-slam-pastoral-review-changes-in-hard-hitting-open-letter-31902; 22.1.18 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2018/01/22/hall-jcrs-condemn-pastoral-changes-and-announce-plans-for-a-demonstration-31992; 24.1.18 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2018/01/24/bristol-alumni-consider-revoking-legacies-in-response-to-hall-changes-32033; 26.1.18 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2018/01/26/heated-scenes-at-university-feedback-meetings-on-new-hall-model-32046; 3.2.18 https://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2018/02/03/dozens-of-bristol-students-march-on-victoria-rooms-in-protest-at-hall-changes-32177; Epigram 18.12.17 https://epigram.org.uk/2017/12/18/news-6/; 27.12.17 https://epigram.org.uk/2017/12/27/do-not-rid-us-of-our-wardens-deputy-wardens-and-senior-residents/; 24.1.18 https://epigram.org.uk/2018/01/24/university-may-lose-millions-from-revoked-legacies-due-to-proposed-halls-model/; 17.1.18 https://epigram.org.uk/2018/01/17/news-5/
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