Description | The School was founded in 1886 to provide British students of Greek literature, art, archaeology and history with the opportunity of pursuing their researches in Greece itself. It owed its establishment to the action of the Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward VII), following Professor Jebb's plea for a British Institute at Athens. A committee was appointed and funds raised for the erection of a building at Athens, on a site presented by the Greek Government.
Any qualified British subject could be admitted as a member and students of the British School at Rome, which was founded originally on the Athens' School model, were granted automatic admission. Studentships were offered to Oxford and Cambridge as well as to other British Universities, and holders of British Empire travelling fellowships and studentships were also admitted as were students sent out by other bodies, including the Royal Academy and Royal Institute of British Architects.
In 1920 the 1851 Board of Management initiated their annual grant to the British School at Athens with the School's undertaking that it would provide facilities, including accommodation, for the Rome Scholars supported by the Commission, as well as other students of the British School at Rome. The grant continued to be made without interruption until 1987 when the Commissioners decided to end their support along with the gradual withdrawal of support for the Rome Scholarships and loosening of ties with the British School at Rome.
|