Established in 1882 in memory of George Augustus Selwyn. Paid by subscription. Sister College – Keble College Oxford. Men and women – undergraduates 400 postgraduates 200. For a college with modest financial endowments, Selwyn punches way above its weight in Cambridge's academic performance tables, recently reaching first place. The foundation began in 1882 as a public university hostel, a Christian initiative in memory of the Right Reverend George Augustus Selwyn, the first bishop of New Zealand, and was funded by subscription. Official approval as Cambridge College took place in 1958. Powerful personality Reverend Selwyn, a former student at St John's, was a larger-than-life character who made a huge impression on Victorians with his powerful personality and dedication . He embodied all the qualities they admired, being described as a pure and heroic example of the highest type of Englishman. A committee was established after his death in 1878 to explore ways to remember and celebrate him. Help for poorer students The founding committee was clear about the Christian nature of the college, but had ambitions beyond being a simple theological institution. They would be happy to train future clergy, but considered it vital to attract scholars who would lead successful lives outside the Church. Reverend Selwyn had always been alarmed by the high cost of an Oxbridge education and felt that efforts should be made to help poorer students. The committee was determined to make Selwyn College as affordable as possible. The college occupies a spacious site, well beyond the river, to the west of the city center (about 12 minutes on foot). These six acres were originally farmland owned by Corpus Christi. Once considered isolated, it is now built from paper ......brick and placed atop a modern cloister, overlooking a well-kept lawn. The Cripps Foundation has donated funds to several Cambridge colleges to provide modern study rooms. Departure from retro-gothic to modern classic. Ann's Court, designed by Poiphyrious Associates, was completed in 2005 and is just north of the Old Court, named for major donor Ann Dobson. . There is a deliberate move away from neighboring Gothic in favor of a very modern classical expression, stripped of all unnecessary decoration. The simplicity is delightful except for a few large expanses of windowless walls, which are a bit brutal. The elegant administrative block is raised by semi-circular arches allowing passage under the building, referring to the cloisters of an earlier era. This is the first phase of an ambitious plan which will take another twenty years to complete...