A group of tutors and students from 1921 under the Principalship of Emily Penrose (seated in the second row from the front directly under the central pillar). Sitting next to Miss Penrose is Professor Gilbert Murray, noted Classical scholar, internationalist and strong supporter of women’s higher education. He was a member of the Somerville Council from 1908 to 1957 and chaired the Library Committee… Read More »1921 Group with Professor Gilbert Murray
A group of Somervillians and friends enjoying a day out on the river c 1925. Picture supplied by Edith Standen (1923). Any identifications gratefully accepted! Back to Snippets from the Archives
Hilda Lorimer – Classics Tutor at Somerville 1896-1934. Like many of her colleagues, Miss Lorimer divided her time during the First World War between teaching at Oxford and helping with the war effort. Here she is pictured in the uniform of the Scottish Women’s Hospital Service. She worked for them during the long vacations of 1917 and 1918 in Salonika.… Read More »Somervillians in the First World War
Several publicity shots were taken of Somerville life and buildings in about 1933. Here is a scene of two young ladies relaxing in a room at Somerville – perhaps one of the newly built rooms in East Quad (later renamed Darbishire) ? Does anyone recognise it as their room? Back to Snippets from the Archives
Winifred Holtby came to Somerville in 1917 following a period of service in France in the First World War. It was at Somerville that she met Vera Brittain (1914 – author of Testament of Youth) and after an initial period of antagonism (fictionalised in Brittain’s first novel The Dark Tide) the two became close friends and after graduating they moved to London together… Read More »Winifred Holtby and South Riding
Mary Ward (also known as Mrs Humphry Ward) was a well-known novelist in the late nineteenth century who was instrumental in the foundation of Somerville in 1879. She was the first secretary of the Somerville Council (a position jointly held with Mrs Vernon Harcourt) and worked tirelessly, preparing for the arrival of new students. It was Mary Ward who suggested… Read More »Mrs Humphry Ward
Maude Clarke was a tutor in history at Somerville from 1919 till her early death in 1935. A noted medievalist in a still largely male academic world, she published important and sometimes controversial work on fourteenth century England with a particular focus on constitutional history. We have eight of her publications in the College library but many more books that she… Read More »Maude Clarke
This photo was taken in France during the First World War and shows on the left, Captain W S B Bosanquet. Bosanquet was an officer with the Coldstream Guards and the father of Philippa Foot, the eminent philosopher and Fellow of Somerville. Mrs Foot died in October 2010 and amongst her effects was this photo and a number of letters from her father to… Read More »First World War Trench
This clipping from The Sphere in 1922 shows a group of jubilant Somerville students clutching what appear to be degree certificates outside the Sheldonian. It was only in 1920 that women were admitted as members of Oxford University and therefore able to receive degrees, so these students were some of the first women to graduate from the University. Unfortunately we have… Read More »“A Group of Merry Oxford Girl Students”
The College chapel (architect Courteney Theobald) was built in 1935 following a donation from former student, Emily Kemp. However, as Somerville was specifically founded without religious affiliation, some contemporaries saw the building of a chapel as contrary to this founding principle. Construction went ahead in spite of objections but the chapel was never consecrated and its one stained glass window (designer… Read More »The Chapel