Bulmershe College

Bulmershe first appears in existing records in the 12th century as a place in the parish of Sonning. The first reference to it as a manor was in 1447 when it was granted to Reading Abbey. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the land was acquired by the poet William Gray. He probably built the first house here, the remains of which may be the basis of the present Bulmershe Manor. William Gray's wife, Agnes, was the widow of Robert Blagrave, a merchant of London and Reading and their son, John was Gray's heir. Through this the Blagrave family came to own Bulmershe Court, although both John Blagrave the mathematician and Daniel Blagrave the regicide resided at the family's other…

Student social life largely revolved – as in most campuses – around eating and drinking. The formal student refectory (for those living in hall) was supplemented by a pay-as-you-eat canteen affectionately known to all as 'Chip City'. And the Union bar was the scene for many promotion events, perhaps the most notorious being the regular Foster's nights.