This post is the start of a series that will only be of interest to a few readers, but it’s about a subject that means a lot to me, and about a place which, in one way or another, has had an impact on design, and design education, in the UK and beyond. Brunel University has just sold its Runnymede campus to Oracle Residential, part of the Epsom-based Oracle Group, a property and investment company.
Oracle’s announcement on its website, under ‘Latest acquisitions’ (it’s Flash-based and unlinkable) is a little more detailed than Brunel’s rather terse statement - even if it skirts the issue of what they’re going to do with the place - and at least recognises some of what’s interesting about it:
Acting on behalf of oversees investors, Oracle Residential are pleased to confirm the acquisition of the Brunel University Runnymede Campus for £46.5m. Situated on the outskirts of Egham town centre, the 67 acres of mature parkland and woods is currently occupied by Royal Holloway, University of London for student accommodation. The site currently contains around 350,000 sq ft of buildings, some of which are listed.
With far reaching views of Windsor Castle, the site has extensive grounds which include an Area of Landscape Importance, Ancient Woodland and a Site of Nature Conservation Importance - all of which will need to be protected in any development proposals for the site.
Regional Director Scott Hammond believes that the site’s significance in terms of nature conservation and historical importance means that any proposals would need to be of a highly sensitive nature; once occupation of the building is secured in September, we will begin the process of restoring some of the dilapidated and unsightly buildings, and seek to enhance the Green Belt nature of the site.
King Sturge acted for the University in the disposal of the site.
I was a student at Runnymede from 2000-4, and a member of the last graduating year to be based there. Runnymede - once the Royal Indian Engineering College, and later Shoreditch College - was Brunel’s design school: a self-contained, single-subject campus out on its own, on top of Cooper’s Hill, Englefield Green - the first piece of high ground to the west of central London, with views over Heathrow and the Staines Reservoirs as well as Windsor Castle, Magna Carta Island and the Thames. It was a very interesting place to be a student, in many ways: there was enforced isolation, but we could call it ‘hothousing’; there was clearly never much money for buying new equipment, but there was a pride in using what was there to produce astonishing results; there was a lot of stress, but also proof of the total miscibility of work and play. And indeed workshop and kitchen, swarf and carpet, spray-booth and corridor, daytime and nighttime.
I know that to a large extent, I fell in love with the location before I really ‘got’ the course; the Open Day I attended, in June 1999, was sunny and beautiful, and the whole place struck me (and still strikes me) as one of the most perfect places in south-east England: a hilltop idyll with Elizabethan oak trees and Victorian parkland, yet close enough to the lure of London. Certainly many of the student halls of residence were decaying, but no more so than many, many others. The Royal Holloway students living there at present are right to complain about the place not being up to what they had been led to expect, but from what my girlfriend tells me of some of the (now demolished) halls at Holloway, Runnymede wasn’t that bad.
Of course it is much, much too late now to dwell on the decision to move the Design department to Uxbridge - one of the seemingly few concrete [sic.] decisions made about Runnymede during Brunel’s 27-year tenure of the site, since absorbing Shoreditch College in 1980. The department is merged into the School of Engineering & Design, it’s a very different set-up, they’ve taken me on to do a PhD, and I’m very pleased about that.
As for Runnymede - even in the early 1990s (gleaned from reading old documents in the library) there were proposals for selling the campus to various other organisations, such as an independent schools’ association (to use as an HQ), and in the last few years, suggested uses included temporary housing for Heathrow Terminal 5 workers, a new ‘Brunel Academy’ for underprivileged inner-city teenagers, a conference centre, a permanent expansion for Royal Holloway (both teaching and accommodation), and an administrative HQ for Brunel itself, away from the construction-site hubbub of Uxbridge. But in the end, it came down to this: sale to a property company, just as Brunel did with its (equally historic) Osterley and Twickenham. I don’t know (yet) what Oracle’s plans are: I do know that Englefield Green has a lot of executive homes and apartments already and surely doesn’t need too many more.
This is the first in a series of posts looking at some of the history of the Runnymede campus, both long past and recent, the plans for the site as they become clearer, and how it will all affect the local area. I intend to do some research in that vein, and report back semi-regularly. In the meantime, some photos of the campus: from ‘Hostler’ (2001), part 1; part 2; and some of my own, from 2004, in no real order.
Runnymede was unecessarily sold by Brunel University, it was still paying for itself with Conferencing, accommodation rented by Royal Holloway and rent from incubator companies. So much has been squeezed onto the Uxbridge Campus, how long will it be before they have to buy land to grow into, having lost such a beautiful area as Runnymede. The trouble with Universities is they are run by academics, they needed someone with entrepreneurial skills that would have made it viable with minor alterations. Instead the planning permission will go through and a lot of houses will make a lot of money for Oracle rather than for Brunel.
Yes, another blunder for posterity. Money ruling heads rather than heart. I can remember it as a wildlife haven with many grass snakes and other creatures (apart from us students). It`s a very sad day as it was a magical place , so near London yet so relatively peaceful.
What an absolute catastrophe for `the future`.
Former student at Shoreditch from 1970 to 1973.
Former English teacher at Magna Carta School, Egham 1973 to 1975
I was based at Runnymede in my 1st and final year. 1999-2003
Being one of the displaced (Uxbridge based course) made it even more the sweeter coming back to the Monastery. A charming place to live, difficult to get to and from, insular, the hill climb to and from semi civilisation and good for just wandering around intoxicated.
I’ll remember the fair on the golf course, rabbits, ground floor Bradley, musty library. eccentric design students, the timetabled coaches and the at times quieter than quiet. There’s more but I’ve reached my nostalgic quotient.
It’s a shame the way it’ll probably go but I’m glad I was there when I was.
I was a tutor at Shoreditch/Runnymede from 1972 until I moved to the Uxbridge Campus in 1997 in order to take on the running of the Education Liaison Center. However, as a member of the Department of Education and Design I retained a personal office on the Runnymede Campus (in President Hall) right up until the handover to Oracle on the 28 September 2007. So my association with the campus has been continuous for the past 35 years and I’m very sad to see the end of an era stretching back to the days of the Royal Indian Engineering (and Forestry) College. I would have liked the HEFC to have come up with the money to enable RHC to have purchased the site. But realistically there was no way they were going to be able to match Oracle’s bid. £47M is a lot of money and it was the need for that to capitalise developments at Uxbridge that was the main driving force behind the Brunel Senate and Council’s decision to divest themselves of the campus. Despite the fact that the Chairman of the HEFC had told Brunel,following a visit some years ago, that it was a gem of a site which they should hold on to !
Just happened on this site as I was trying to show my staff where I got my Degree. So sad to learn the Runnymede site has been sold.
I have to say I think you are spot on with your description of what it was like being a student at Runnymede. It brought it all back. Some fantastic stuff was produced there in quite difficult circumstances. The all nighters, and stress leading up to the cut-off time. I graduated in 1995 (Ind Des) and it is nice to see you where still using the toilets as spray booths. I suspect the university was still valiantly issuing notices about it right up to the end. I used to think how lucky I was to have ended up in such a nice place. I think for me the Uxbridge Campus would have been a bit of a nightmare.
I will always be grateful for the opportunity the University gave me. I came there as a mature student and was not really a full part of the main student stream as I was about 12 years older than the rest of them. It was always a struggle for me but they got me through. I am now doing very well with my own company.
As for the delapidated parts of the Campus, that will be where we lived I take it. I always liked the rather grunge nature of the halls of residence. I hope I am not being too ‘old’ in saying anything better would have been by and large wasted. It did the job and like most things it was as nice as you made it. Even the nicest kitchen looks bad with a weeks worth of washing-up lying about. I helped clear out the 1960’s furniture in the summer breaks in 1993-95, and when the students returned and did their thing on the new furniture, it did not look any better. I thought the old style chest of drawers were much more practical, and rescued two units and still have them now as a reminder of my time there.
I have often thought about going back one day to have a look around, walk around the grounds again, and then down to the river, rekindle memories. Looks like unless I am prepared to splash out on an ‘exclusive apartment in a sumptuous setting’ that is not going to happen. And that is the sad thing about it, thousands of people from all types of backgrounds for 3-4 years of their lives had a chance to live in an environment they may never experience again, and now it is to be restricted to a privilidged few, oh hum.
Kevin Pitt BSC(Hons) Ind Des 1995
I have fond memories of my time at “Shoreditch Campus” Some course orientated most revolving around the Student Union Bar, Rowan (Womens!!) Hall and of course the Barley Mow on Englefield Green.
We worked hard and played hard, getting up to all kinds of hijinx from restarting the old clock in the main building late one night, to locking security out of his office in the old lodge! Good old days and sorely missed.
Now working in the Aerospace industry my time at Uni really did stand me in good stead.
Anyone reading this who remembers me and wants to get in touch can do so via friends reunited website.
Absolutely appalled to see the site has been sold to Oracle, we all thought it would go on ad infinitum….
There are times when I hate progress and this is one of them. Although Uxbridge based I lived at Runnymede from ‘86 to ‘88 and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The memories are legion; Andre the South African security guard, Chessy Walk, the magic mushrooms, sledging on car bonnets, dozing in the library, Reed 400 Jungle Parties… It took me a year to come back to earth after graduation.
It was a privilege to live on such a beautiful site with such close proximity to the Barley Mow and the Great Park.
Rest in Peace Runnymede
All good things must end, but just think how many GOOD things will be remembered."DITCH" lead me to a wonderfull life hence life style,from which I hope many young lives were influenced.
Best Wishes to all of 1965