A Brief History
Wycliffe Hall was founded in 1877 by a group of evangelical Christians in response to growing ritualism and rationalism in the Church of England. The Trust Deed binds each member of the Hall’s governing Council to ‘cordially approve’ the Thirty-Nine Articles, a Protestant interpretation of the atonement, justification, the sacraments, priesthood and the Bible.
The history of Wycliffe’s partnerships is a testimony to the Hall’s commitment to bring an evangelical influence to bear in the University and in Oxford more generally. In 1893 Wycliffe was closely associated with the formation of the Oxford Pastorate, an evangelical chaplaincy for the University. Five members of the Wycliffe Council were founding members of St Andrew’s Church, which was to provide an evangelical ministry for North Oxford. An Oxford College, St Peter’s Hall was founded in 1929 in memory of Bishop Francis James Chavasse, a former Principal of Wycliffe. St Peter’s, which had close connections with Wycliffe, was established to provide low-cost Oxford education for promising students of limited means. In 1996, under the leadership of Professor Alister McGrath, Wycliffe Hall became a Permanent Private Hall of Oxford University, thus able to admit undergraduates and Oxford research students.
The internal life of Wycliffe also testifies to its commitment to chart an evangelical course without falling prey to exclusiveness. In the mid-1920s, students of the Hall petitioned the Principal for a regular mid-week service of Holy Communion and for a cross and candles to be placed on the Lord’s Table, so that the Hall’s worship could be harmonised with its then ‘liberal evangelical’ teaching. Despite some reservations among Hall Council members, in 1940 the students of St Stephen’s House attended evensong at Wycliffe and the compliment was repaid. In order to redress the apparent suspicion with which Wycliffe seemed to be viewed by conservative evangelicals, such as the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, the Principal, Thornton-Duesbery, hired a conservative Australian to join the staff in the 1950s. He was David Broughton Knox, who later became Principal of Moore College, Sydney. By the 1960s, non-Anglicans were involved in teaching at the Hall, and worship was inspired by the traditions of the Taizé and Iona communities.
The college’s dual emphasis on mission and biblical teaching are evident in the Lectureships that the Hall has sponsored. The Chavasse Lectures in World Mission featured speakers such as Stephen Neill, John Stott, Stephen Blanch, Michael Griffiths, Simon Barrington-Ward, Donald Coggan, David Sheppard and, most recently, Bishop Nazir-Ali. Howard Marshall, F.F. Bruce and James Dunn were among the lecturers for the Griffiths Thomas Lectureship which was founded in 1981 to deal with biblical authority and interpretation.
Despite peaks and troughs of ordinand admissions, Wycliffe Hall has grown to reach a record intake in recent years of 74 ordinands. The premises have similarly expanded. The Chapel was built in 1896 and a new dining hall (now the ‘Lecture Room’) in 1913. Two properties in Norham Gardens were purchased in 1929 and another in 2006. The current dining hall was added on to the existing buildings in 1980. Substantial development plans are currently underfoot for improved library, auditorium and student housing provision. |
