Rhodes House
Rhodes House is part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on the south of South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor.
History
The will of Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902) created scholarships that became known as Rhodes Scholarships, administered by the Rhodes Trust.[1]
The Rhodes House building was designed by Sir Herbert Baker in a colonial style and was completed in 1928. Architectural sculpture was provided by Charles Wheeler
During 1931, Albert Einstein delivered a series of three lectures at Rhodes House.[2] Edmund Bowen, a chemistry don at the university, saved the blackboard used in the second lecture (on 16 May). This can still be seen at the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford,[3] formally presented by Sir Francis Wylie, the Warden of Rhodes House at the time.
Rhodes House was the location for one of the gigs of the band Ugly Rumours in the early 1970s, of which former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was a member. The Oxcentrics jazz band also played at Rhodes House.
Rhodes House Library
The Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House (also known as the Rhodes House Library) is part of the main Bodleian Library in Oxford.
The Rhodes Trust
The Rhodes Trust is based at Rhodes House. The Rhodes Trust, established in 1902 under the terms and conditions of the will of Cecil Rhodes, and by subsequent Acts of Parliament, is an educational charity whose principal activity is to support scholars selected from the citizens of 14 specified geographic constituencies to study at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholarships for a duration of one, two, or three years have been awarded annually since 1902.[4] In 2002, the Rhodes Trust partnered with Nelson Mandela to establish the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship.[5] The Rhodes Trust provides the Rhodes Scholarships in partnership with the Second Century Founder, John McCall MacBain, and other generous benefactors.
The Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees.[6]
Current trustees
The following are trustees:[6]
- Dr John Hood (New Zealand & Worcester 1976), Chairman (since 2011)
- Julian Thompson (Diocesan College, Rondebosch and Worcester, 1953) (since 2002)
- Professor Sir John Bell (Alberta & Magdalen 1975) (since 2002)
- Michael McCaffery (Pennsylvania & Merton 1975) (since 2008)
- Professor Ngaire Woods (New Zealand & Balliol 1987) (since 2009)
- Dominic Barton (British Columbia & Brasenose 1984) (since 2010)
- Don Gogel (New Jersey & Balliol 1971) (since 2010)
- Professor Margaret MacMillan (since 2010)
- John MacBain (Quebec & Wadham 1980) (since 2010)
- Festus Mogae (since 2010)
- N. R. Narayana Murthy (since 2010)
- Karen Stevenson (Maryland & Magdalen 1979) (since 2010)
- John Wylie (Queensland & Balliol 1983) (since 2010)
- Dame Helen Ghosh (since 2011)
Notable former trustees
- The Rt. Hon. Lord Butler of Brockwell
- Sir Rod Eddington
- The Rt. Hon. The 4th Earl Grey
- The Rt. Hon. The 1st Viscount Hailsham
- Rudyard Kipling
List of Chairmen of the Trust
- Earl of Rosebery 1902–1917
- Viscount Milner 1917–1925
- Sir Otto Beit 1925–1930
- Lord Lovat 1930–1933
- Rt Hon. L. S. Amery 1933–1955
- Sir Edward Peacock 1955–1962
- Sir Kenneth Wheare 1962–1969
- Sir George Abell 1969–1974
- William Edward Harcourt, 2nd Viscount Harcourt|Viscount Harcourt 1974–1979
- William D. M. Paton|Sir William Paton 1979–1982
- Lord Blake 1983–1987
- Sir John Baring, later Lord Ashburton 1987–1999
- Sir Richard Southwood 1999–2002
- The Rt. Hon. Lord Waldegrave of North Hill 2002–2011
- Dr John Hood 2011–Present
List of Wardens
- Sir Francis Wylie 1903–1931
- Professor Sir Carleton Allen 1931–1952
- Brigadier Sir Edgar Williams 1952–1980
- Dr Robin Fletcher 1980–1989
- Sir Anthony Kenny 1989–1999
- Dr John Rowett 1999–2004
- Sir Colin Lucas 2004–2009
- Professor Don Markwell 2009–2012
- Dr Andrew Graham Acting Warden 2012-2013
- Charles Conn 2013-
References
- ↑ History, The Rhodes Trust, Oxford, UK.
- ↑ Albert Einstein — Honours, prizes and awards: Oxford University, Albert Einstein in the World Wide Web, Germany.
- ↑ Albert Einstein, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, UK.
- ↑ The Rhodes Trust, Rhodes House, Oxford, UK.
- ↑ Mandela Rhodes Foundation (2010) The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships Retrieved 1 October 2012
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rhodes Trust Board of Trustees, Rhodes House, Oxford, UK.
Further reading
- Ziegler, Philip. Legacy: Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes Trust and Rhodes Scholarships (Yale University Press, 2008); 388 pp. ISBN 978-0-300-11835-3.
External links
- Rhodes House
- The Rhodes Trust
- Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House (Rhodes House Library)
- Virtual tour of Rhodes House
Coordinates: 51°45′27″N 1°15′18″W / 51.75750°N 1.25500°W