ONE of a university's most famous colleges is to rename a historic building on campus in honour of the founding principal.

Almost 160 years after it opened as the first purpose-built student residence in the country, Hatfield Hall, at Hatfield College, Durham, has undergone a £1m revamp.

Hatfield, Durham University's second oldest college, was founded as Bishop Hatfield's Hall in 1846, only 14 years after the first, University College, was established in Durham Castle.

Since its foundation, the university has continued to develop and expand to meet the changing needs of students and teachers.

Among the first developments was to open a hall to cater for 21 theology and arts students.

New accommodation was soon needed for the growing number of students attracted to the hall.

That building, traditionally and affectionately known simply as "A & B Stairs", has recently undergone a £1m refurbishment to bring it up to modern standards.

It will be renamed Melville Building after the first principal, the Reverend David Melville, who held the post from 1846 to 1851.

The renaming ceremony will be carried out by author Josceline Dimbleby, a great-great-granddaughter of the founder.

She only discovered her links with Hatfield while researching family history for her book A Profound Secret, about David Melville's daughter, May, and grand-daughter, Amy.

In the book, part-biography and part-detective story, she seeks to uncover the truth of the mysteriously tragic life of her great-grandmother, May Gaskell, and her relationship with pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones.

In her research, she was amazed to discover the extent of the records about Melville's association with Hatfield.

She will formally name the Melville Building in a ceremony at 5.30pm on Friday, followed by a reception.