Walton Street: Ruskin College
Named after the social reformer and artist John Ruskin, Ruskin Hall (as it was first known) started life at 14 St Giles in 1899, but moved on to its present site on the corner of Worcester Place and Walton Street in 1903. The original building was replaced in 1912 by the present one, shown above. The governing body of 1912 stated, "The new buildings present a handsome frontage to Walton Street. They are Georgian in design, and are a worthy addition to the many beautiful buildings in Oxford."
The mock-Georgian façade stops at first-floor level, where stone turns to red brick. There is a foundation stone under each of the four central ground-floor windows, laid respectively by Mrs Amne L. Grafflin of Baltimore, USA (co-founder of the college with her husband Walter Vrooman); Sydney C. Buxton MP (father of a former vice-principal); C. W. Bowerman, Esq., MP (TUC president in 1901 and Ruskin executive committee member); and Miss M. Giles (a member of staff of the college since 1899).
The name of the college (unlike those of the University) is inscribed over the main entrance in the style of nineteenth-century mechanics' institutes.
The photograph on the postcard below dates from about 1910, and presumably shows part of the original college on the site. A note on the back reads: 'The daily "wash-up" at Ruskin College, Oxford'.
