Message from the Master
Posted:
06 May 2026
People seated in wooden pews inside a chapel, with one person leaning forward to speak to others during an event.
As Master, I find myself chairing and sitting on a good number of committees, in College and across the University. One of the busiest this year has been our Buildings Committee, chaired by Fellow in Medicine Professor Ian Wilkinson, where we oversee the general maintenance of our sites and commission new projects.
New things are underway on at least three fronts. Builders are on site at Bishop Bateman Court (BBC), for a major refurbishment which will degasify the building and make it fully accessible. We’re also engaged in detailed calculations about energy provision at Central Site to reduce our dependency on gas, either by joining a city-wide heat network project or generating our own air, ground or water heat. And, very excitingly, we’re running a competition to select architects to rebuild Cherry Tree Court and create a new lecture and performance space, along with a new café and bar as a social hub for the College. These projects are all part of the Masterplan, and rely on your support. You can read more about our Masterplan progress and plans in this edition.
That said, students recently overcame the Lecture Theatre’s narrow stage to put on a great production of Assassins by Stephen Sondheim. The Trinity Hall musical is now a firm annual fixture and I was blown away by the various talents on display. You can hear from one such talented student, director Tom Barry, in this publication.
A highlight of 2025 was, of course, the incredible event at the Barbican to celebrate our 675th anniversary. It was wonderful to bring so many of the Trinity Hall community together in one place to reminisce, celebrate what College is today, and look ahead to an exciting future. I know the press coverage in January cast a pall, but it’s the Barbican spirit which represents the real Trinity Hall.
Our wonderful outreach officer, Xanthe, was in the Southwest recently, where we support state schools across the region to raise aspirations and target Oxbridge, including Trinity Hall. I particularly want to celebrate this work in light of the misleading press coverage. Let me reassure you once again that our admissions policy has not changed, nor our commitment to widening participation. I hope you’ll enjoy the piece by Florence Assetto, which I like to think shows that our actions can speak louder than distorting words. Your support is what makes so much of our outreach and widening participation admissions work possible.
Looking ahead, we’re beginning to make plans to mark the 50th anniversary of women at Trinity Hall, from October this year. We’ll share more with you in due course, but meanwhile, do read Joanna Wade’s reflections. It was another age.
There’s even deeper history in this edition of Front Court. I hugely enjoyed Professor Alec Ryrie’s lecture marking the 500th anniversary of the 1525 sermon given in the Trinity Hall church on Peas Hill, long seen as igniting the English Reformation. With the dark oak pulpit and period music from our choir, it was easy to imagine Tudor Cambridge, where religious controversies raged in the candle-lit shadows of St Edward, King and Martyr.
Finally, a word or two about Honorary Fellow Mark Tully, who died in January. I had the pleasure of working with him when I was a junior producer at BBC World Service many years ago and always admired his considered, expert reporting of India, delivered in that beautiful voice. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading the tribute by his fellow Trinity Hall student, Dr Vic Forrington. Such long, deep friendships are forged here.