The character of the Regent Park community is directly influenced by its Christian connections. Although it still attracts both men and women who wish to lead a life in Baptist ministry, it is thoroughly modern and open in an ecumenical perspective with members embarking on a wide variety of careers. No religious tests or barriers are presented to candidates and there is no expectation of ordination. The institution specializes in providing opportunities to explore the Christian spirit through academic study and its Oxford Center for Christianity and Culture. Many theology students from other colleges will come to take courses at Regent's Park, such is its expertise in this field. Regent's Park is located just north of the city center and has over 150 students, around a third of whom are postgraduates. The college tries to accommodate all of its undergraduate students, but this can be tricky and is not guaranteed. Unusually for Oxford, it can accommodate a number of couples and families. Despite its small numbers, the college also excels in rowing and has supplied crew members to both the university and Great Britain. Baptist Roots Before the Victorian era, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge insisted that all students must be Anglican and must affirm this. This was not seen as discrimination, but as the sacred promotion of a belief system that made the country strong. Non-Anglicans were free to establish their own institutions as long as this was not done at Oxford. It is in this context that Regent's Park has its roots. The London Baptist Educational Society was founded in the much more liberal London of 1752, becoming a collegiate establishment in 1810 on a site acquired at Stepney. The college affiliated with the University of London and moved middle of paper......with its own internal investigation, which confirmed a lack of money which would not allow them to continue. quadRegent's Park has a beautiful, intimate main quad, with dining room, library and chapel, which is covered in ivy during the Trinity term. Most students are housed in classical-style buildings dating from the early 20th century. The library is open 24 hours a day and is, as you would expect, full of books on theology, philosophy, English and law, as well as all the other expected subjects. The collection boasts many important non-British publications that even the powerful Bodleian Library does not possess, attracting theologians from other colleges. The wood-panelled common room is considered one of the most beautiful in the university. Emmanuelle, the 90-year-old turtle who became a TV star by appearing in “Blue Peter,” lives in the main courtyard..