CRAWLEY FORUM
PRESIDENT’S HOUSE
OLD COLLEGE
HAMPDEN HOUSE GPS Images show Old College remains at a depth of 60-70 cm and the President’s House remains at a depth of 100-110 cm.
to Hampden House. The GPR and gradiometer were then moved along ropes stretched at one-half-meter intervals across each grid. The result is a highly successful survey that located two identifiable 18th-century buildings, at least two unidentified buildings possibly dating to the 18th century, and a number of features from early life at the College such as privies and buried trash. Most exciting of all is the discovery of a well-preserved foundation belonging to the original “Academy House” or “College” building, a three-story brick building erected in 1776. Located immediately north of the driveway leading into Hampden House, most of the foundation lies underneath a grassy area; however, portions extend 18
beneath the adjacent driveway and parking lot. The foundation first appears in GPR records at an approximate depth of one foot below the surface, with portions extending to a depth of more than four feet. Its perimeter measures 35 feet by 55 feet, matching the building dimensions cited in an 1805 fire insurance policy. Internal elements of the College foundation consist of one east-west wall and two parallel north-south walls, which certainly supported the two sides of a central hall running through the building. Their orientation means that this building was perpendicular to College Road; it did not face the road as previously believed.
THE RECORD of HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE SPRING 2018