BREAKING NEW GROUND
Transforming
Kellogg’s grounds for the 21st Century
Our vision
To transform Kellogg’s green spaces and enrich the environment and wellbeing for the whole College community.
Kellogg – Oxford University’s most international college – occupies a number of Victorian villas each with their own separate gardens.
Our vision is to bring about a real sense of unity to these outside spaces, repurposing them into a varied and flexible series of interconnected gardens that nurture wellbeing.
Kellogg was created to support graduate study and lifelong learning and we know from evidence-based research that transforming our gardens will greatly enrich the lives of our students. Not only that, it will create new habitats and generate biodiversity right in the heart of Oxford.
Reimagining our grounds so they are fit for the 21st century, while honouring our heritage and nurturing wellbeing, will enable long-lasting impact to all users both now and in the future.
This is our vision and we’d love you to be part of turning it into a reality.
Off to a flying start
As a first step to realising our vision, we are delighted to be working with Andy Sturgeon – a leading figure in British landscape design, and winner of numerous gold medals and Best in Show awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Andy’s belief that gardens improve both the environment and quality of life are fundamental concepts that run through his entire scheme. His designs creatively reimagine our green spaces all the while being sensitive to the site’s rich history.
“For a landscape designer like me, Kellogg College is full of opportunities and is an incredibly exciting project. The challenge is to capture the essence of what is special about this place and to weave it into a plan which allows Kellogg to continue to grow and evolve.
When I first came here, I found a college which is young and forward thinking yet lives in a collection of old Victorian villas and at the heart of these former residences lies the Hub, a brand new Passivhaus.
Our proposed masterplan aims to create a unique atmosphere as it pulls together this somewhat disparate and disconnected collection of buildings, respects its history, and repurposes it for the 21st century.”
A potted history of Kellogg
Kellogg is one of Oxford University’s newest colleges, founded just over 30 years ago in March 1990. It’s hard to believe now but we were the first Oxford college to support part-time degree courses allowing students to work while studying – and we’ve been breaking new ground ever since.
Core to everything we do is a belief in a world where learning continues throughout life and where the brightest people have the opportunity to study at Oxford – alongside work and other commitments. This approach has led us to form an encompassing and inclusive community that impacts the world for the better.
Kellogg found its permanent home in 2006 when it moved into numbers 60 and 62 Banbury Road, in the heart of the Norham Manor estate, which was originally developed as a residential suburb in the 1850s. Over the past decade the College has acquired additional houses on Bradmore and Norham Roads, forming a complex of around ten former Victorian villas.
The most recent building in the College is the Hub. Overlooking the central lawn, it houses our Common Room and a café which is open to the public, and has achieved Passivhaus ‘green’ standards – yet another University first.
Of course, with the former Victorian villas came the old gardens, with their distinctive red brick walls and the remains of glasshouses where households would have grown exotic fruits like pineapples and melons. Today these once self-contained gardens offer great potential to unify the College around a central yet diverse campus.
A glimpse into the past
The home of Kellogg has a rich and fascinating history which has inspired many elements of Andy’s innovative designs.
The first resident of number 62 Banbury Road – or Ketilby as it was then known – was Reverend Richard St John Tyrwhitt who moved there in 1864. He was an extremely well-connected clergyman, artist, writer and poet who developed lifelong friendships with the artist, critic, and social reformer John Ruskin.
In the years that Tyrwhitt lived at Ketilby it became something of a literary and artistic salon, with numerous high profile visitors and correspondents. As well as Ruskin, Tyrwhitt was in regular contact with key figures such as William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne-Jones through his own artistic efforts. His correspondents also included Dante Gabriel’s sister the poet Christina Rossetti, and the novelist Charlotte Yonge.
Clearly these houses – and their gardens – were once at the centre of a most illustrious Arts and Crafts circle, whose reforms helped bring about positive social change.
Andy’s designs complement this rich heritage, imaginatively unifying the gardens into beautiful and usable spaces fit for modern day needs, which will positively impact all its visitors both now and for generations to come.
“Increasing people’s exposure to, and use of, green spaces has been linked to long-term reductions in overall reported health problems; it has also been linked to reduced levels of obesity and high physical activity, and higher self-rated mental health.”
NGS, Kings Fund Report 2016
“It is written on the arched sky; it looks out from every star. It is the poetry of Nature; it is that which uplifts the spirit within us.”
John Ruskin
“In every walk in with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
John Muir
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein
“The proportion of green and open space is linked to self-reported levels of health and mental health (Barton and Pretty 2010) for all ages and socio-economic groups (Maas 2006), through improving companionship, a sense of identity and belonging (Pinder et al 2009) and happiness (White et al 2013).”
NGS, Kings Fund Report 2016
The power of nature
Dr Kamal Mahtani is a practising GP in Oxfordshire. He is also a Kellogg Fellow and Deputy Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Here he explains why gardens are such an important resource for our health.
“Many factors influence our health and wellbeing. Some are medical. Others are social, economic or environmental. Many healthcare systems are increasingly taking a more integrated approach to the way healthcare is provided with a key component being access to ‘social prescribing’, enabling patients to benefit from a range of local, non-clinical community ‘assets’.
At the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine we’ve explored how these resources could support health and wellbeing, and our work highlights several common concepts around which types of environment could be beneficial. Continuous learning is one way of maintaining wellbeing, as acquiring new knowledge and skills may offer participants a sense of empowerment, independence and self-confidence.
Gardens can be environments of enjoyment and relaxation, offering an important escape from everyday stresses. They can also offer the perfect space to connect with nature and other people, offering another critical contributor to health and wellbeing – that of social engagement.
The initiative to transform Kellogg’s gardens reflects the growing recognition of how our health and wellbeing can be influenced. It will no doubt enhance the opportunities the College offers, and, crucially, do so in an evidencebased way.”
STEP INTO THE GARDENS
See how our vision is shaping up and find out how you can be part of transforming the lives of students at Kellogg.
A ground-breaking new environment
Andy’s plans for the gardens are an exciting start to making our vision a reality. His elegant and practical designs respond beautifully to the different needs of College life.
Over the next few pages you’ll discover how the gardens will be reorganised into a mix of private places and social spaces, allowing students the flexibility to congregate, reflect, relax, exercise, or enjoy outdoor performances.
Common design themes thoughtfully knit the grounds together and a fully accessible path network prioritises the needs of students, staff, and visitors.
Underpinning the entire scheme is sustainability and enrichment of the site with increased biodiversity, more trees, and new habitats. A wide range of plants will attract a multitude of invertebrates and other animals, all the while bringing people into close contact with nature and enhancing both their health and wellbeing.
Step into the gardens and explore our vision in more detail…
The masterplan
Kellogg’s four acre site is part of a conservation area with most of the buildings, and some of the garden walls, having listed status for their architectural or historic interest. The College is situated less than a mile from Oxford’s city centre and accessed via Banbury Road and Bradmore Road.
One key criteria of the masterplan is to unify our many green spaces so they flow naturally together yet still create distinct areas for different activities.
A Woodland approach
B Courtyard entrance
C The central lawn
D The walled garden
E The amphitheatre
Woodland approach
Along Banbury Road, a linear garden is imagined in the shade of the stately trees. Hard standing is replaced with planting and permeable surfaces take people on a meandering journey through a verdant landscape.
Courtyard entrance
The courtyard entrance is bordered by hedges creating a welcoming and natural focal point. Woodland style planting and solid oak seating seamlessly bridge the gap between the old and the new.
The central lawn
The central lawn is elevated in status as it becomes framed by seating in the shade of new trees. Exotic planting nods to our changing climate and the influence it has on our plant choices both now and in the future.
The walled garden
The walled garden to the west of the Hub will be brought back to life with pockets of seating nestled amongst colourful drifts of flowering perennials and ornamental grasses, all punctuated with multi-stem trees.
The amphitheatre
Entering from Bradmore Road visitors will be greeted by a simple grass amphitheatre, a contemporary take on a historic landscape feature. The gentle slopes encourage gatherings or ad hoc performances in the shade of a significant tree.
Join us and be part of transformational change
Today our vision remains just that, a vision – to be realised it will depend on the generosity of supporters who share our belief in the transformative power of nature.
There are many ways you can get involved to leave long-lasting impact, from making a general donation to supporting an entire garden. Whatever your contribution, we would love you to be part of enriching the lives of students at Kellogg – now and for future generations.
To find out more about the opportunities available or to discuss the scheme in more detail, please contact:
Rebecca Baxter Director of Development
01865 612020
rebecca.baxter@kellogg.ox.ac.uk