On Friday afternoon September 23rd, 2022 we were able to visit Keble College to see the grounds and the chapel. The dining hall was closed to visitors during our visit.

The idea to found a new college in memory of John Keble was discussed by a group of his friends at Keble’s funeral in April 1866. By modern standards, the speed with which their plans were realized was little short of miraculous.

In four years they raised enough money to buy the land, commission an architect and complete the east and west ranges of Liddon Quad and the imposing main gatehouse, all ready in time for the first forty undergraduates to take up residence in the autumn of 1870. Building continued throughout the 1870s: the Chapel was completed in 1876, the Warden’s Lodgings in 1877 and the Hall and Library in 1878, by which time 140 undergraduates were living in Liddon and Pusey Quads.

Keble’s founders chose William Butterfield (1814-1900) as its architect. A man closely associated with the Oxford movement, he had designed churches and vicarages for Anglo-Catholics all over Britain as well as in the colonies, Melbourne cathedral in Australia being a particularly well-known example. His was a controversial choice, and Butterfield’s architecture has long provoked argument.

For decades ivy hid much of the polychrome brick and the buildings were variously derided as hideous and a joke. Opinions began to change in the latter half of the twentieth century and Butterfield’s Keble, Grade 1 listed, is now widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic anywhere.

The photos from Keble Chapel will have to wait for another day. Be forewarned there are a lot of photos to share. It was one of the larger chapels we were in on this trip.

Back to the Present: We are still having winter here in N.E. Washington state. We had a busier than usual weekend and it was full with Joy and Sorrow and Joy. Today is my hair day, nothing new always the same do. Hope you all have a good week ahead.

HT: Keble College