Headington Hill Hall

View of Headington Hill Hall.

Headington Hill Hall stands on Headington Hill in the east of Oxford, England.[1] It was built in 1824 for the Morrell family, local brewers, and was extended between 1856 and 1858, by James Morrell junior (1810–1863) who built an Italianate mansion, designed by architect John Thomas.[2] The family remained in residence for 114 years.

Oscar Wilde attended an all-night fancy dress May Day Ball given by Mr and Mrs Herbert Morrell at the Hall on 1 May 1878 for around three hundred guests, gaudily dressed as Prince Rupert.[3] Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873–1938), who owned the Hall for a period,[4] was particularly associated as a hostess with the Bloomsbury Group.

Subsequently, the publisher Robert Maxwell (1923–1991), founder of Pergamon Press, leased the building from the Oxford City Council for 32 years. He described it as the "best council house in the country."[5]

Since 1992, Headington Hill Hall has been leased to Oxford Brookes University.[6] It currently houses a number of Law lectures, history is held in the "Portacabin"-esque structure known colloquially as "Eww Willow",[7] the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice and the Oxford Brookes University School of Law.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Headington Hill Hall, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, English Heritage.
  2. ↑ Headington Hill Hall (Oxford Brookes University), Headington, Oxford.
  3. ↑ Maria Pia Bobbioni, The subconscious of the dandy, POL.it.
  4. ↑ Eugenics Society Members List — Me–Mz.
  5. ↑ "Robert Maxwell (1923–1991)", Headington History
  6. ↑ Headington Hill Hall, Oxford Brookes University, UK.
  7. ↑ Aristotle

External links

Coordinates: 51°45′18.28″N 1°13′52.08″W / 51.7550778°N 1.2311333°W