Renovation and rediscovery

15 December 2020

After six months in the making, February saw the opening of our brand-new Porters’ Lodge. With the 1990s mezzanine carefully removed, the space was unrecognisable and finally fit for the Grade II* listed building it occupies. Clever joinery and re-opened doorways created a Lodge fit for the 21st century, with a dedicated visitors’ reception area and plenty of space for Amazon parcels!

Meanwhile, a travelling exhibition in the Chapel reacquainted us with the story of Rev. Dr James Parkes, a Hertford alumnus. Parkes was a tireless fighter against antisemitism and a pioneer who helped to rescue Jewish refugees in the 1930s. After campaigning for European Jewry during the Holocaust, he established the world’s only library and research centre dedicated to Jewish/non-Jewish relations, now housed at the University of Southampton.