Planning permission granted for All Souls College, Oxford

Marking an expansion beyond All Souls’ historic quads, the scheme will provide much-needed space for the contemporary needs of the College’s academic community and staff, while restoring and revitalising a prominent stretch of Oxford’s High Street. The project draws on Wright & Wright’s extensive expertise in working with complex, historic sites, building on a body of work that encompasses Oxford colleges and leading cultural institutions, including the British Museum, Lambeth Palace and the British Academy.

Developed in close collaboration with Oxford City Council, the original proportions of historic facades from different eras will be reinstated, and high quality bespoke shop fronts will replace the existing street frontages. The passageways connecting the High Street to Oxford’s Covered Market will be made more inviting, with improved lighting, signage and finishes more appropriate to its civic setting, enhancing the public experience and improving safety in the wider city centre.

The upper floors will provide three seminar rooms, including a raked lecture theatre for 100 people, alongside Fellows’ studies, staff offices and a rooftop garden. By stripping out modern finishes, many historic features will be preserved and revealed, including 17th century stone walls, ancient roof timbers and the preservation of 18th century ceilings. The restored building is designed to be fully accessible to all, including those with disabilities.

Despite the complexity involved in working with three conjoined historic buildings, the project will be a low-energy, deep retrofit, designed to safeguard the historic fabric and minimise the College’s carbon footprint.

David Renton, Estates Bursar at All Souls College, said:
'Our ambition is to create a place of learning that connects directly with the life of the city, while honouring the historic complexity of the site. We are excited to work with Wright & Wright to bring this vision to life.’

Clare Wright, Founding Partner of Wright & Wright said:
‘It has been a privilege to help realise the College’s ambition to remodel an extraordinary set of historic buildings on an important site on Oxford’s High Street. In an era when city centres are languishing, this pioneering project can help preserve the soul of Oxford.’