“A flint-stone Norman-style building. The only one in Oxford. That’s Greyfriars” I began my tour.
Picture Greyfriars a Roman Catholic friary and parish. Until 2008 it was also a University of Oxford hall. It stood on Iffley Road one of Oxford’s smallest halls. Its unique status came from its governance. The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin a Franciscan order ran it not university fellows.
The original Greyfriars dates back to 1224. Franciscans founded the church and friary. They had a prestigious history. Famous alumni included Robert Grosseteste a statesman theologian and Bishop of Lincoln. He was Greyfriars’ head Master of the School of Oxford and Oxford University’s first Chancellor. In 1517 the Franciscan order split. City-based friars teaching in universities became Conventuals. Those preferring a solitary life became Observants. The Capuchins emerged in 1528. The Reformation suppressed the friaries in the 16th century.
The Capuchins re-established a friary in 1905. It was called St Anselm’s. The University recognised it as a house of studies in 1910. The Church of St Edmund and St Frideswide on Iffley Road became a chapel in 1911. The Jesuits gave it to the Capuchins in 1928. They built the friary there.
In 1919 the friars moved to the current Iffley Road site. Initially it was Grosseteste House named after the original Greyfriars head. In 1930 it became Greyfriars again. The university made it a permanent private hall in 1957. It surrendered that status in 2008.
In 2007 Greyfriars celebrated 50 years as a PPH. That year saw unusually high first-class undergraduate grades. The order announced closure in October 2007. Financial and personnel issues led to this decision. The building’s age and fewer friars made maintenance unsustainable. Students transferred to Regent’s Park College. The decision sparked controversy. Proposals to keep Greyfriars failed. The hall closed in June 2008 despite a last-minute Holy See attempt to save it.
Greyfriars students didn’t move to St Benet’s Hall or Blackfriars. Greyfriars had earlier admitted women. The other Catholic PPHs hadn’t. Regent’s Park welcomed Greyfriars students. A plaque commemorates this. Regent’s Park plans a Greyfriars scholarship.
Greyfriars remains a friary and parish. The Capuchin Order continues its ministry. Greyfriars’ distinctive building remains. It’s the only flint-stone Norman-style building in Oxford. Its green spire is visible along Iffley Road and from the Roger Bannister track. The story of Greyfriars shows the enduring spirit of a place that has seen centuries of change. And that’s just one small part of Oxford’s rich history.