Steve Johnson on Thirty Years at Somerville

Steve Johnson

Our Estates Manager Steve Johnson this year celebrates an amazing thirty years at Somerville. Here he tells us the story of how he came to be one of the indispensable cogs that keeps the college not only ticking over, but feeling like home.

There’s no question that Somerville changed my life, giving it a structure and purpose it might never have had. Like a lot of people, I lost myself a bit in my early twenties. I spent four years in the army after school as a cable layer setting up HQ telecommunications, then almost joined the navy simply because I didn’t know what to do next.

When I joined Somerville, I was pretty much looking for any style of work, so the General Assistant job suited me fine. What made it different, right from the word go, was the atmosphere in College. There is a very strong sense you get at Somerville that everyone is working towards a common goal, and that was something which pretty much held me in the early days. I suppose in some ways it reminded me of my time in the army – but with more warmth and a bit less discipline!

The other attraction was that the work was always so interesting. I started out in Housekeeping, but the electrical training I had from the army plus my NVQ in plumbing (which Somerville helped me obtain) meant I was doing skilled work pretty quickly. From Housekeeping I moved into Maintenance, where I became Assistant Maintenance Manager in 2004 then Maintenance Manager in 2014. I held that role until 2019, when I was promoted to Estates Manager. My current role includes responsibility for all maintenance requirements, assisting with project works, the grounds & gardens, waste management of the site and a list of other duties it would take too long to mention here! It is a lot of work, but I never mind that, because I love Somerville. Anyone who has worked here for long enough knows what I mean: we give up all this time and make the extra effort willingly because Somerville’s a part of us.

We give up all this time because Somerville’s a part of us.

Being here so long, and learning to love the place, you come to feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the College, to protect it and preserve it for the future. In my time, I have seen Somerville come through lots of changes, from becoming a mixed college right up to the new building projects which have changed the appearance of the College so much. It’s great fun when everything’s busy, but some of my favourite moments at Somerville are those times when the college is almost empty. There’s a lovely moment in late Summer, when the conferences are over and term hasn’t started yet, and you feel the college preparing itself for the next phase, like it’s taking a deep breath. Or there’s Christmas, when I am often the only person around apart from the few students who stay over the holidays. I’ve stood in the centre of College quad on Christmas Eve, with the buildings dark and silent all around me and church bells ringing in the distance. At times like that, you really do feel like you’re looking after the whole place, waiting on everyone’s return.

At the end of the day, it’s a privilege being here. So I would like to finish by thanking all the amazing people who have supported and continue to support me at Somerville – as well as those very important people at home, who sometimes have to listen to far too many Somerville stories…