Greyfriars, Oxford

Greyfriars
University	University of Oxford
Location	Iffley Road
Coordinates	51°44′48″N 1°14′25″W / 51.746801°N 1.240168°W / 51.746801; -1.240168Coordinates: 51°44′48″N 1°14′25″W / 51.746801°N 1.240168°W / 51.746801; -1.240168
Motto	My God and My All
Established	1224
Closed	2008
Named for	The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
Previous names	Grosseteste House (1919-1930)
Warden	Mark Elvins
Undergraduates	c. 50 (2008)
Website	www.thegreyfriars.org#!oxford/c1ed8/
Map
Location in Oxfordshire

Greyfriars, situated on the Iffley Road in East Oxford, was one of the smallest constituent Halls of the University of Oxford in England, that existed until 2008. Its previous status as a Permanent Private Hall (PPH) referred to the fact that it was governed by an outside institution (the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a Franciscan Order), rather than by its fellows as is a College.

Greyfriars has one of the most distinctive buildings in Oxford; it is the only flint-stone Norman-style building in the city, and its green spire is prominently visible along the Iffley Road and from the University's Roger Bannister running track.

The original Greyfriars church and friary was founded by the Franciscans in 1224, but was suppressed during the Reformation in the 16th century. The Friars had a long and esteemed history in Oxford, listing many famous alumni, including the English statesman, Robert Grosseteste, also a theologian and Bishop of Lincoln, who became head of Greyfriars, Master of the School of Oxford from 1208, and the first Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Some time later, the Capuchin branch of the Order established a friary, known as St Anselm's, which was recognised by the University as a House of Studies in 1910. In 1919, the Friars moved to the current site on the Iffley Road — first naming it Grosseteste House after the first Head of the original Greyfriars — and on completion of the present building in 1930, the name of Greyfriars was adopted once more. The status of Permanent Private Hall was conferred upon Greyfriars by the University in 1957 and surrendered in 2008.

In 2007, Greyfriars celebrated 50 years of its PPH status, with considerable flourish, and an unusually high number of first-class undergraduate grades marked the year.