Alden’s House

Lewis Alden (c. 1870 – 1941) was the fifth son of an Oxford “gentleman”, educated entirely in his home town. Short-sighted and irascible, he arrived at Campbell in 1898 to teach English. He encouraged his pupils to read modern as well as more traditional literature, and no less than four future professors, including C S Lewis (1141) and E R Dodds (1023), were to acknowledge their academic debt to his teaching. He was also noted for his elegant ice skating whilst smoking a cigar! Alden was appointed one of the four original boarding Housemasters in 1908, the first of Alden’s House. He was also the School Librarian. He retired in 1930 and died on the 22nd of October 1941. The name Alden’s House disappeared in 1995 with the creation of a single boarding School House. Alden’s restaurant in Ballyhackamore bore his name.

Note by the OC Magazine Editor 2005: Various OCs over the years had lamented the passing of Alden’s and they could not comprehend why, it alone (one of the four original senior boarding houses) disappeared.

After Note: Alden’s House returned as a Dayboy House circa 2008 when a Pastoral Care Review took place at the College.