After several thwarted attempts since 2020, we were delighted to hold the Deans’ Dinner once again on a sunny day at the start of June.
The Deans’ Dinner was originally funded by gifts left in memory of influential former Deans, F. F. Urquhart (1890 and Fellow 1896–1934), A. B. Rodger (Fellow 1924–1961) and F. L. M. Willis-Bund (Chaplain and Fellow 1945–1972), together with whom we also honour John Jones (Emeritus Fellow) since his retirement in 2009 after nearly 50 years continuous association with Balliol, and Douglas Dupree (Emeritus Fellow), who retired in 2014 after serving the College for 30 years. The dinner continues to be an opportunity to thank the College’s most generous benefactors and friends.
In the afternoon we also took the opportunity to hold a small reception at the new Pavilion, to celebrate the new Master’s Field buildings at the Dervorguilla site. The project has provided more than 200 new student rooms, accommodation for Fellows, along with the new pavilion with changing rooms and a squash court. As a result, Balliol now has 60 more rooms for graduate students than previously and is able to offer undergraduate students accommodation for all years of their course. Guests were joined by the architects, Niall McLaughlin Architects, who shared details of the project, which now has a RIBA National Award 2022 in addition to its RIBA South Award and the RIBA South Project Architect of the Year 2022 Award.
