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May 5, 2015 · The First World War transformed women-only Somerville College. It became a hospital for convalescing soldiers, housed poets and writers and changed forever the fortunes of female students, writes Frank Prochaska.
Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford [3] in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher , Indira Gandhi , Dorothy Hodgkin , Iris Murdoch , Philippa Foot , Vera Brittain and Dorothy L. Sayers .
Since our first students joined us over a century ago, Somerville’s history has been filled with bold and extraordinary individuals who learned to change the world. Click below to follow their journey from the beginning, or dive into whichever chapter most appeals to you.
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- A Short Introduction to Somerville College, Oxford
- The Founding of Somerville College, Oxford
- The Early Years
- Somerville College, Oxford During WWI
- The Admission of Men to Somerville College, Oxford
- Famous Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford
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The College is named in honour of the Scottish mathematician and scientist, Mary SomervilleIt has an impressive alumnae, including Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, and Dorothy HodgkinSomerville College, Oxford is home to one of the largest libraries in OxfordIt is one of the few colleges in Oxford that allow students to walk on its grassConveniently nestled between the popular streets of Jericho and the open spaces of the University Parks sits Somerville College. Somerville College is home to around 650 students, of whom around a third are international. It’s one of only three colleges in Oxfordto provide on-site accommodation for all of its students throughout their undergraduate...
Up until the late 19th century, higher education in Oxford, and across much of the world, was only available to men. However, in 1878, the first plans to eradicate the gender gap in education began. In June of that year, the Association for the Higher Education of Women was formed, with the ambition of creating a college to educate women in Oxford....
When Somerville College was founded, there were just twelve students, with their ages ranging between 17 and 36 years-old. Lectures were understandably small, and were held in rooms above the local bakery on Little Clarendon Street in Oxford. Only two of the original twelve students that began in 1879 remained in Oxford for the full three years of ...
During the First World War, Somerville College played an integral role. Along with the Examination Schools and other notable Oxford buildings, Somerville College was converted into the Third Southern General Hospital, a facility used by the Royal Army Medical Corps to treat casualties. For the duration of the war, students at Somerville College wer...
With the impressive pool of students appearing at all-female colleges across Oxford, it became widely understood that admitting students from a wider range of backgrounds could produce better students. As such, pressure grew on single-sex colleges to change their policy and avoid falling down the rankings. Starting in the 1970s, the traditionally a...
Somerville College has produced many notable female alumni – which are more commonly referred to as ‘Somervillians.’ These include: 1. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2. Marjorie Bolton, British author and poet 3. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India 4. Dorothy Hodgkin, Nobel Prize winning scientist 5. A. S. Byatt, English...
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Somerville College was founded in 1879 in the vanguard of women’s higher education at the University of Oxford. Established as a college with no religious affiliation, it gained (and maintains to this day) a reputation for encouraging independent thought, strength of character, questioning minds and tolerant attitudes.
Somerville is a warm, forward-looking and inclusive college with a streak of radicalism at its heart. Founded in 1879 to give women access to university education when many others wouldn’t, famous alumni include two former prime ministers, the only British woman to win a Nobel prize for science and pioneers in literature and activism.
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Somerville College Virtual Tour. Have a look around! Here’s how the tours work: Each tour starts in the Porter’s lodge which is at the entrance to the college. From there you can navigate through the college and its grounds by clicking on the arrow button .
