An Oxford college has bought the buildings of St Benet’s Hall, the Benedictine foundation that closed after Oxford University did not renew its licence for the 2022-3 academic year.
St Hilda’s College said that it had completed the purchase of the St Benet’s buildings at 38 St Giles and 11 Norham Gardens on 7 October, for £18 million from the college endowment.
The university had announced the closure of St Benet’s in May, due to “ongoing financial uncertainty”. Its remaining students were moved to other colleges for the new academic year.
St Hilda’s announced on its website that it had “achieved a long-held strategic goal of offering accommodation to all undergraduates through their studies” with the acquisition of the buildings. Its principal, Professor Dame Sarah Springman, said that she had “thought it would take years to reach this milestone”.
“It is wonderful to be able to announce that we have achieved our objective so much sooner,” she said.
The college confirmed to The Tablet that its interest in the buildings began in June, when their owner, the Ampleforth Abbey Trust, put them on the market following the announcement of the hall’s closure. The college’s bursar, Chris Wood, said that there was no direct connection between St Hilda’s and St Benet’s during the purchase.
He said that the college was planning ways to commemorate St Benet’s at its former buildings, to include an opportunity for the hall’s old members to hold an annual reunion at the St Giles building and a number of academic prizes in St Benet’s name.
Mr Wood continued: “It is sad for St Hilda’s College that a permanent private hall has been closed by the University of Oxford but we are delighted that the purchase of these two properties will allow their continued use by students of the University of Oxford including former St Benet’s students, some of whom are already in residence.”
The purchase follows reports in September that the university had declined a £40 million donation to rescue St Benet’s.
The Spectator reported that the American businessman John Barry had signed a deal, countersigned by the hall, that would have allowed St Benet’s to continue with a new board of governance. Oxford University maintained that this would not resolve the concerns about its financial viability.
A spokesman said: “The university did not feel that the offers provided sufficient assurance of the long-term sustainability and independence of the hall.”
St Hilda’s declined to comment on the circumstances in which the buildings were put on the market.
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