H. B. Allen Centre Explained

H B Allen Centre
Address:25 Banbury Road
Location City:Oxford
Location Country:United Kingdom
Coordinates:51.761°N -1.2609°W
Opened Date:3 October 2019
Destruction Date:-->
Architect:Rick Mather
Architecture Firm:MICA
Unit Count:-->

The H B Allen Centre is the graduate centre of Keble College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.

Background

The H B Allen Centre is named for Heather Barbara "Mickie" Allen, founder of the H B Allen Charitable Trust. Ms. Allen was a descendant of the founder of Beefeater Gin, James Burrough,[1] and also donated to RNLI for lifeboats in Padstow. The trust contributed a £25 million capital grant to assist with construction and fitting out of the new site.[2]

Construction

The centre was built on the site of the former Acland Hospital. Part of the old hospital, the Sarah Acland House, is a Grade II listed building, and a significant challenge in construction was preserving this structure.[3]

The H B Allen Centre was officially opened on 3 October 2019 (a year behind schedule) by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.[4]

Facilities

The centre includes accommodation for 230 full-time graduates, as well as common area including two multipurpose rooms, laundry facilities, a gym, a café, and lecture theatre.[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: Gin heiress' £2m lifeboat legacy. 25 October 2005.
  2. Web site: The H B Allen Centre . Keble College . . 18 October 2019 .
  3. Web site: Eckersley O'Callaghan – Engineers – Keble College H B Allen Centre . www.eocengineers.com . 18 October 2019.
  4. Web site: Duke of Cambridge opens Oxford University's H B Allen Centre . . . UK . 18 October 2019 . 3 October 2019 .