Policy Press
12 Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university
-
Abstract
This chapter explores how a long-established institution, St Nicholas’s Cathedral (subsequently referred to as Newcastle Cathedral), has set about rediscovering its roots through place making and interaction with the community and civic life. It draws parallels between the journey of the cathedral and the university. The present cathedral was a medieval parish church for a mercantile city until 1882, when the regionally oriented northern part of the diocese separated from the Diocese of Durham, with its strong theological orientation, to become the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas for a new Newcastle Diocese serving the area ‘between Tyne and Tweed’. Newcastle University had its origins in a School of Medicine and Surgery established in 1834, and Armstrong College, with a focus on applied sciences relevant to the rapidly industrialising North East of England, established in 1871. Together, they became King’s College University of Durham in 1937.
In the early stages, philanthropy and the local state played a key role in the development of both institutions, for example, the corporation funding of the lantern tower on the church to guide ships into the River Tyne and merchants endowing the church to ‘buy a place in heaven’. The college was named after the industrialist William Armstrong; it relied heavily on philanthropic endowments. During the late 19th century, alongside other civic bodies with their own premises, such as the Literary and Philosophical Society and Mining Institute, both institutions contributed to a vibrant civil society.
In 1963, King’s College separated from the more academically oriented University of Durham to form the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Abstract
This chapter explores how a long-established institution, St Nicholas’s Cathedral (subsequently referred to as Newcastle Cathedral), has set about rediscovering its roots through place making and interaction with the community and civic life. It draws parallels between the journey of the cathedral and the university. The present cathedral was a medieval parish church for a mercantile city until 1882, when the regionally oriented northern part of the diocese separated from the Diocese of Durham, with its strong theological orientation, to become the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas for a new Newcastle Diocese serving the area ‘between Tyne and Tweed’. Newcastle University had its origins in a School of Medicine and Surgery established in 1834, and Armstrong College, with a focus on applied sciences relevant to the rapidly industrialising North East of England, established in 1871. Together, they became King’s College University of Durham in 1937.
In the early stages, philanthropy and the local state played a key role in the development of both institutions, for example, the corporation funding of the lantern tower on the church to guide ships into the River Tyne and merchants endowing the church to ‘buy a place in heaven’. The college was named after the industrialist William Armstrong; it relied heavily on philanthropic endowments. During the late 19th century, alongside other civic bodies with their own premises, such as the Literary and Philosophical Society and Mining Institute, both institutions contributed to a vibrant civil society.
In 1963, King’s College separated from the more academically oriented University of Durham to form the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables, figures and boxes v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Foreword xv
- Islands of hope in a sea of despair: civil society in an age of austerity 1
- The North East of England: place, economy and people 19
-
The public sector and civil society
- The public sector and civil society: introduction 37
- Innovation outside the state: the Glendale Gateway Trust 43
- The Byker Community Trust and the ‘Byker Approach’ 57
- Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity 73
- ‘Computer Says No’: exploring social justice in digital services 89
- Drive to thrive: a place-based approach to tackling poverty in Gateshead 105
- City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead 121
- Are we ‘all in this together’? Reflecting on the continuities between austerity and the COVID-19 crisis 137
-
The civic university
- The civic university: introduction 147
- Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university 153
- Realising the potential of universities for inclusive, innovation-led development: the case of the Newcastle City Futures Urban Living Partnership pilot 169
- Future Homes: developing new responses through new organisations 187
- The good, the bad and the disconcerting: a week in the life of university project-based learning for schools 203
- The containment of democratic innovation: reflections from two university collaborations 221
- Citizen power, the university and the North East 235
- So what is a university in any case? A grass-roots perspective on the university and urban social justice 251
- Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety 257
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables, figures and boxes v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Foreword xv
- Islands of hope in a sea of despair: civil society in an age of austerity 1
- The North East of England: place, economy and people 19
-
The public sector and civil society
- The public sector and civil society: introduction 37
- Innovation outside the state: the Glendale Gateway Trust 43
- The Byker Community Trust and the ‘Byker Approach’ 57
- Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity 73
- ‘Computer Says No’: exploring social justice in digital services 89
- Drive to thrive: a place-based approach to tackling poverty in Gateshead 105
- City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead 121
- Are we ‘all in this together’? Reflecting on the continuities between austerity and the COVID-19 crisis 137
-
The civic university
- The civic university: introduction 147
- Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university 153
- Realising the potential of universities for inclusive, innovation-led development: the case of the Newcastle City Futures Urban Living Partnership pilot 169
- Future Homes: developing new responses through new organisations 187
- The good, the bad and the disconcerting: a week in the life of university project-based learning for schools 203
- The containment of democratic innovation: reflections from two university collaborations 221
- Citizen power, the university and the North East 235
- So what is a university in any case? A grass-roots perspective on the university and urban social justice 251
- Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety 257
- Index 275
