Five things you might not know about our quad

The quad has been an integral part of York St John since we were founded, or has it? For decades, students who studied with us have viewed the quad as an important part of life studying with us. From an untouchable lawn students dared not walk across, never mind sit on, to a space for mischief and plays, here are five things you might not know about our quad.

1. Until 1905, we didn’t have one

Yes, you read that right! Aside from those first five years in a different location before our Lord Mayor’s Walk campus was opened, most alumni assume our iconic quadrangle was all built at the same time. After all, why wouldn’t it be? But in reality, the quad was created in 1905 when Principal Walker created more teaching and living space. If you look carefully, you’ll notice that this side of the quad doesn’t quite look like the other three!

You can see the original campus configuration on the 1851 ordnance survey map of York. It includes details about where the original dining room, music room and school room were located. It also shows the seemingly empty space behind our campus which had yet to be built on.

The quad was completed to create some much needed space for St John’s College. The new wing created more study bedrooms, more teaching space and even a gymnasium!

2. No ball games in the quad, how about a sports day instead?

The quad has always been at the centre of life at York St John, quite literally! But the approach to how the quad was used has changed a lot over the years. Some of our older alumni remember the grass of the quad being a pristine space, not to be touched by students. Today we still have a sign up saying ‘No ball games’ suggesting that the quad is still very much a special place. But before this, it seems the quad was a space for quite a lot of events! In fact, it was used as the location for sporting activity, including sports day!

The below photos are from a Sports Day in c.1948. We’re quite jealous of how lovely the ivy looked!

3. It was occasionally used as a bedroom

Students haven’t lived on campus for the past few years, but for most of our history students learnt and lived on campus. This often led to some interesting games, traditions and pranks being pulled on unsuspecting students. All we’ll say is students today really wouldn’t get away with a lot of them now! But one we can discuss what was the semi-regular practise of moving someone’s entire bedroom out onto the grassed spaces around campus.

Particular pranks varied, but the general rule of thumb involved a student being away from their room and several other helpful students deciding they needed more fresh air by moving everything outside, even arranging it in the same configuration. This often included everything in the room, right down to the carpet. Everyone assures us this was all done in good fun, and perhaps equally as importantly, in decent weather!

4. It hasn’t always looked like this

When alumni come back to campus they often say the quad looks almost exactly as it did when they studied with us. This goes for alumni who left us 10 years ago, or 50! But although the quad seems timeless, it has gone through some very subtle changes over the years:

• The ivy changes throughout our history. Sometimes it’s been left to grow everywhere, and sometimes it’s been cut right back. Now it’s contained to specific places around campus.
• The central path appears to have always been a feature, but how this has interacted with the grass has changed over the years.
• The amount of flowers and greenery around the quad has increased in recent years, with earlier photos showing a much sparser gardening aesthetic.
• The steps and ramp into the quad are a relatively recent addition, with the original configuration including two sets of separate steps.

5. It’s been used as a performance area

The quad has often been the stage for student performances, some more risky than others! During Welcome Week, the quad now often hosts an outdoor cinema experience for students too.

We’re not sure today’s students could stage Prometheus as they did in the early 2000s with large fire poles, but the quad is still a popular space for a range of events and performances in the summer months.

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