Rhodes House

An iconic historic building embraces 21st Century security technology

Today the historic, grade II* listed building continues to display its iconic arts and crafts charm, whilst an impressive restoration and renovation project has brought the building straight into the 21st Century. 

Designed by Sir Herbert Baker and opened in 1929, the arts and crafts gem in central Oxford has a storied past, and while its offerings today expand well past its initial intention, every effort has been made to preserve and conserve the iconic handcrafted interiors of the house.  

Rhodes House was commissioned by the Rhodes Trust to serve as the home of the Rhodes Scholarship. Today it is the city’s newest and most technologically advanced conference and convening centre, while also maintaining its original purpose, as a centre for study and dialogue for the Rhodes Scholar community.   

In 2019 a major restoration and modernisation project designed by multi award-winning practice, Stanton Williams Architects began, with the intention of bringing the building into the 21st Century, while developing a series of under-utilised basement spaces to create a 300-capacity convening centre, to host academic and commercial events. As part of the scheme, a security and access workstream began, with a brief to bolster the building’s security to cater to the cross-functionality, and inevitable influx of community members the renovation project would enable.

Your security, your way with Command Centre

Gallagher’s award-winning site management platform, Command Centre was the first system to offer alarm, access, and perimeter security in one single product and its installation has allowed Rhodes House to seamlessly navigate the increased capacity and movement permissions required on site.

The full replacement of the electrical infrastructure provided the perfect opportunity to simultaneously tackle the building’s security and access installation, which up until that point, had been very basic. 

Rhodes House Estates Administration and Safety Manager, Martin Boyt says installing a solution while the building ‘was literally pulled apart’ represented the perfect opportunity to bring the security systems to a modern standard. 

One of the major challenges was fitting access control solutions to the old timber doors. The task at hand required a delicate balance of embracing the new, while respecting the building’s history.

Gallagher Security, Business Development Manager UK, Mark Vickers says of the project, “this was certainly a unique project, with many different contractors on site. It was a great display of the power of partnerships to get the job done”.