17. John Honer; 18. Isabel Raphael; 19. Frank Woods. JOHN HONER (53 minutes, 13 Feb. 2003) describes his involvement as executive architect for NH from 1962 to 1968, with the Chamberlin, Powell and Bon practice which he had joined in 1953. He talks about design considerations (including early plans to co-operate with Fitzwilliam and Churchill Colleges on one site), building materials and furnishings. He reflects on how priorities over heating and lighting have changed since the 1960s. He mentions other architects, NH fellows, including the Building Committee, the building contractors, and the work of more recent architects at NH. He counters comments about leakages in the Dome and Library, and queries maintenance schedules. He considers the design of NH was good value for the limited money available. He goes on to describe other newsworthy projects in which he was later involved. He worked with NH alumnae on one of these, at the British Library. He pays tribute to Dame Rosemary Murray: 'I think she came to know more about building and architecture than I shall ever know - She was a hands-on President'.
ISABEL RAPHAEL, interviewed 20/6/03 (43 minutes). Isabel was the first Cheltenham girl to get a New Hall place, in 1957, to read Classics. Only first year undergraduates lived in Silver Street, where the ('formidable') Rosemary Murray and Robin Hammond ('dictatorial'), 'two spinster dons', treated them somewhat like schoolgirls. There were very mixed messages about relationships with men; many undergraduate men themselves seemed to live in another world. Many were not 'nearly as clever as we were', but still NH women lacked confidence.
Isabel didn’t experience the sense of academic ambitiousness that she had hoped for, with allocation to supervisors a matter of luck. She had very little inspirational teaching from her (male) supervisor. Aware of a 'crisis in Classics' at Cambridge, she switched to English but, although working hard, was aware of much higher teaching standards at Newnham and Girton. New Hall 'lacked focus' and she (and others) felt isolated, with little sense of pastoral care even when struggling emotionally and healthwise.
She describes accommodation arrangements in her second/third years, and activities beyond New Hall, including entering for the Winchester Reading Prize and the Stuart Rowke Prize for Classics, and speaking at the Cambridge Women’s Union. However there was little help in channelling her abilities and no useful career advice, either from New Hall or the Careers Service, who did not recognize her innate teaching skills. She later taught in the independent sector, and numbers several future NH students among her pupils. Collecting her MA in 1964, she recognised how contemporary New Hall women were much more confident and stylish.
FRANK WOODS, interviewed 24.6.03 (63 minutes), recalls his early career at Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, including comments on the personalities and working roles of the three partners. He draws parallels between the design of New Hall and that of other contemporary projects.
He pays tribute to Rosemary Murray: 'She was extremely hands-on, very dedicated, knew where she was going, and was a perfect client in that way.'