Southampton, University Road, Nuffield Theatre

Building Notes

In 1956 Basil Spence and Partners was appointed consultant architects and planners to oversee the expansion of Southampton University’s Highfield Campus. Partner Jack Bonnington led the Project. The period 1960 to 1964 saw the construction of the Arts Buildings 1 and 2, the Senior Common Room and the Nuffield Theatre which together constitute the 'arts quadrangle'.

The Senior Common Room, 1960 (cost 120,000 pounds), is a single storey building, roughly rectangular in design which houses the common rooms, dining rooms, conference rooms and kitchen facilities. The fully glazed walls allow for views of the landscaped valley in which the university is situated. Where the land falls away the brick basement walls are exposed. There are two internal courtyards with water features.

The Nuffield Theatre, 1964 (cost 160,000 pounds), was funded by a donation from the Nuffield Foundation and is sited opposite the Senior Common Room. As well as providing a modern theatre space, the building also contained the arts faculty’s principal lecture theatre, the music department, a concert hall and a film house. It is closely integrated with the adjacent Arts Building, sharing its entrance hall, foyer, cloakrooms and toilets. The 500-seat auditorium and stage are clad externally in copper.

The Arts Building, 1963 (cost 350,000 pounds), is a four storey, flat roofed structure, with regular windows and little in the way of detailing. Its accommodation includes offices and lecture, committee and exhibition rooms. It is faced in Derbyshire stone. These three buildings form a courtyard, the centerpiece of which is a pool with a sculpture by F E McWilliam.

Archive Details and Summary

The Sir Basil Spence Archive holds six manuscript folders, 79 drawings and 71 photographs relating to Southampton University. Included in the manuscript material are a number of journal articles, reports and correspondence relating to the Nuffield Theatre and the Senior Common Room; the articles offer a detailed architectural assessment of the buildings and are well illustrated. There are a number of drawings of the different elements of the arts quadrangle, including elevations and plans. There are also a number of exterior photographs and some interior views of the Senior Common Room.

The Sir Basil Spence Archive illustrates that the building of the arts quadrangle conformed with the five foot pattern established by Spence and Jack Bonnington (all measurements were to be multiples of five) to make best use of the limited 52 acre site and give cohesion to the whole design.

This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.