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A History of Van Mildert College

Van Mildert College was founded in 1965 and is named after William Van Mildert (1765-1836), the last Prince Bishop of Durham. An Englishman of Dutch descent, he was instrumental in the founding of Durham University in 1832 and his castle is the present University College.

The College Motto  ‘Sic vos non vobis ‘ – Not for yourselves’ is a fitting maxim for a college which gives so freely of itself. Van Mildert students number among the most frequent and generous givers in Durham, not just in charitable endeavours, but in sport, drama, outreach and student politics.

Although originally founded as a male-only college, women postgraduates were admitted in 1967, shortly followed by female undergraduates in 1972: an early sign of the college’s progressive and forward-thinking nature. Today Van Mildert is the third largest college of Durham University and is a lively community of around 1100 undergraduates and 120 postgraduate students.

The current Principal of Van Mildert is Professor Tom Mole, and he is supported by Deputy Principal, Victoria Brown.

Each year, the Junior Common Room members (undergraduate students) elect an Executive Committee and this is led by the JCR President. The Middle Common Room (postgraduate students) also elects an Executive Committee on an annual basis.

Latest News

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• The Antarctic: Talk and Supper Thursday Feb 23rd 2023 February 14, 2023

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Van Mildert College at the University of Durham

Van Mildert College at the University of Durham was established in 1965 and named for William Van Mildert (1765–1836), Bishop of Durham and one of the founders of the university. These informal photos of the Durham residential colleges were taken by Robert J. O’Hara during a speaking visit to Durham. For more information about the residential colleges please visit the main Collegiate Way page .

Sidewalk along the north side of Van Mildert College at the University of Durham.

Main entrance of Van Mildert College, Durham.

The college offices inside the main entrance to Van Mildert College are very well configured with a separate outdoor entrance. This allows visitors to come to the office entrance specifically if the main building entrance is closed.

The busy reception desk just inside the main entrance to Van Mildert College at the University of Durham. Each of the Durham colleges has a distinct reception area which serves as a clear point of contact for visitors and a reliable center of information for members.

Van Mildert College student directory, just inside the main college entrance and near the Junior Common Room and dining hall. A posted directory of this kind is the next best thing to a printed college facebook .

Stairs leading to the Van Mildert College Junior Common Room , just inside the college’s main entrance.

The grand dining hall of Van Mildert College, with a view of the college pond through the windows.

One of the residential blocks of Van Mildert College, Durham, overlooking the college pond.

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The History of Van Mildert College

In the 1950s and 1960s there was a great expansion of university education in the UK; Durham's own growth being boosted by its separation from Newcastle in 1963. Between 1959 and 1972, new buildings were acquired and four new colleges created: Grey, Van Mildert (in 1965), Trevelyan and Collingwood.

The College buildings were designed for their setting, including a small lake near which were placed the four original accommodation blocks (Derwent, Wear, Tyne and Tees) and the College's main building containing facilities including the largest Dining Hall in Durham. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Hall was used extensively for concerts featuring many well-known performers, which members of the college enjoyed, without charge, from the landing above the Hall.

In the early 1970s, Van Mildert was the first Durham college to admit female students; with the first formal intake in October 1972; the other colleges soon followed suit.

With additional buildings added over the years, the college's community has grown and now exceeds 1500 with students, staff and tutors from around the world.

Van Mildert College Alumni

Find out about upcoming events, volunteering opportunities and recent initiatives

Your connection with Van Mildert College does not end when you graduate.  In fact, graduation marks the beginning of your lifelong membership of our vibrant alumni community, with many opportunities for remaining engaged with College.

Van Mildert College Trust

The Trust supports excellence in all areas of College life, promoting the energy and talent of our students. Go to Van Mildert College Trust

The 1965 Club

Van Mildert College's new reward donation scheme - become a Friend of the Feather today! Go to The 1965 Club

Calendar of Events

Current list of events taking place for all Van Mildert College alumni. Go to events

Van Mildert College Durham University Mill Hill Lane Durham DH1 3LH

+44 (0)191 334 7100

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Get Involved!

It doesn’t matter how good at sport you are. You can always get involved!

Wide Availability

At Durham sport can form as large a part of your lifestyle as you like; one of the fantastic things about the Collegiate System is the availability of sport to everyone - in fact 90% of Durham Students play sport at some point during their time here. Mildert has over thirty different teams covering a whole range of sports so there is sure to be a team for you - whether male or female, novice or pro, first year or finalist.

Countless Opportunities

Whether you were a schoolboy international, or reluctantly trudged to games each week at school, there will be a sport for you. Unlike other universities, where you often have to be in the top tier of athletes to compete for your university or face limited intra-mural matches, Durham provides a complete inter-collegiate league system. Mildert is no slouch in the annual league championship, regularly finishing in the top few colleges across a range of sports.

Fantastic Socials

Many of the sports we participate in at Mildert will be familiar to you from school, some of them may be new to you - the fantastic thing about sport at Mildert is you can take part in any sport you choose and at a level you feel comfortable with. All sports teams have regular socials where club members can mingle and get to know one another away from the sports fields; clubs also do their bit for the Mildert community, the annual Rugby Strip for DUCK (the University charities body) is just one example.

Sports on offer through Van Mildert JCR

Cheerleading

Football - Men's

Football - Women's

Hockey - Men's

Hockey - Women's

Rugby - Men's

Rugby - Women's

Ultimate Frisbee

Table tennis, university sports.

For those who wish to play at the elite level of sport, there could be no better place than Durham University. Durham finished second in the 2013-14 BUCS sports table, see the table here , quite a feat!

Team Durham provide an excellent environment to develop elite sport - there can be few better examples than Durham alumni Will Carling & Will Greenwood, both former England rugby; Nasser Hussain, former England cricket captain; Johnathan Edwards, a former Mildertian and simultaneous Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European champion in triple jump; and Andrew Strauss, current England cricket captain. The Team Durham website can be found here.

Facilities at Durham for both University and college level clubs are fantastic and are available for both University and College use. The athlete support structure is also extensive. Students can access a wide range of services including strength and conditioning, injury support, nutritional guidance and lifestyle management support.

This website is operated by Van Mildert College Junior Common Room, a charity (CIO) registered in England and Wales ( 1190990 ). Copyright Van Mildert College JCR.

Moving to Durham: Van Mildert College

I’m proud to be joining Durham University in August as Principal of Van Mildert College and Professor of English Literature and Book History.   I’m very much looking forward to working with the many remarkable students and colleagues in this vibrant community.  More information is available here .