Blackfriars’ New Annexe Building

Converting this nearby building on St Giles has created more space from November 2019 for the life and work of Blackfriars, but lockdowns prevented us from fundraising for it.

• Immediate need: up to £1 million
• Total cost of project: £1.5 million

Competing Demands for Space

On a compact site in the centre of Oxford, Blackfriars is home to up to thirty friars – joined each day by an academic community of students and teachers, by members of staff, and of course by worshippers and groups that meet here.

As Blackfriars has grown, pressure on space has been felt all the more, especially by the friars who live here.

An Exciting Opportunity for Blackfriars

A short walk north from the front door of Blackfriars [map], is a four-storey building owned by us which now offers the solution to Blackfriars’ space needs. Until early 2019, it was occupied by a bank.

From summer 2019, building works were undertaken to convert this into a multi-purpose annexe for Blackfriars:

This building now offers research space, administrative offices, rooms for meeting and teaching, and student accommodation.

We are pleased to offer tours of the new building to alumni and friends of Blackfriars: just contact the Development Director

How the New Annexe is Helping

The new annexe is not only helping the students and researchers at Blackfriars, but is having a positive effect on the life of our whole community

• Four student bedrooms in the top floor, with lift access, are allowing more ­Blackfriars students to ‘live in’
• An accessible bedroom is allowing Blackfriars to accommodate a disabled student for the first time
• More dedicated teaching and meeting rooms plus a new shared area for researchers associated with our two research centres, the Las Casas Institute and Aquinas Institute
• Space in the Priory has been freed up for teaching and for use by the community of friars
• A new Senior Common Room in the new building is providing an improved social space for our hard-working fellows and teaching staff
• The new annexe will be conveniently situated between Blackfriars and the future Schwartzman Centre for the Humanities being developed by the University.
• Close proximity of the Province’s and Blackfriars Hall / Studium’s offices is making collaboration and planning much easier

Your Help is Urgently Needed

Since this building became available, we have had to move fast to prepare it for our use.

The project costed our organisation of £1.6m. This is gradually being paid down over an extended period, but during this time it creates an additional financial burden for Blackfriars. Our fundraising for the project was cut short by the events of 2020.

We would welcome any financial contributions you feel called to make to this essential project for the future of Blackfriars. See below for ways to help

Donate Now Online         other ways to give

Thinking of a Major Benefaction?

If you are able to make a major benefaction of £50,000 or more, we would be delighted to discuss opportunities for proposing names for the various rooms created in the new building.

If you are able to give more than half the costs of the works (i.e. £750,000 or more), then this would provide an exclusive opportunity for naming the building, and allow you to leave your mark on central Oxford. Contact the Development Director for more information.