LADY MARGARET HALL, OXFORD

'Lady Margaret Hall' is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens in north Oxford.
Lady Margaret Hall accepts both undergraduate and graduate students.
However, undergraduates form the
significant majority of the student population of the college, and some
student facilities operate at a more restricted level outside undergraduate
term dates.

Contents

History

The College

Notable alumni

External links

History

Lady Margaret Hall, the first women's college in Oxford, was founded in 1878 by Elizabeth Wordsworth, a great-niece of the poet William Wordsworth and daughter of Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln. It opened its doors to its first students the following year. It was named for Lady Margaret Beaufort, a medieval noblewoman and mother of King Henry VII, known for her exceptional learning and high birth. The college's original house, Old Hall (now known as Old Old Hall), is still in use. Its first nine students were (by rule) Anglicans, and Somerville College opened as a non-sectarian Oxford alternative a year later. In 1979, along with most of the other women's colleges, it decided to admit men as well as women.

The College

Lady Margaret Hall is one of the few Oxford colleges on the River Cherwell, and is known for its punting and its spacious grounds, which occupy about twelve acres. Just behind the main buildings, which are neo-Georgian in style, made from red brick with white trim, are a set of playing fields and tennis courts, as well as a manicured Fellows' Garden, hidden from view by tall hedgerows. Giles Gilbert Scott, famous for designing Liverpool Cathedral and the K2 red telephone box designed the college's Byzantine-style chapel.
Members of the college refer to Lady Margaret Hall as LMH. Its colours are yellow, white and blue, and its motto is "Souvent me Souviens", a French phrase meaning "Remember me often". The bell in the clock above the lodge rings hourly between 08:00 and 22:00.
In 2005, the architect firm John Simpson and Partners was selected to design a programme of significant developments to the college. [2]
In Summer 2006 the College opened a new Law Library in the space underneath the current library, which was opened in December by Cherie Booth QC.
Access to the river allows the JCR to operate a punt house popular with students until the college took over the punts and started charging for them.
Membership of the MCR entails significant benefits for students. These include graduate dinners and an allocation of 4 free formal dining tickets. The MCR also subsidises many events including cinema trips, theatre outings, ballet and ad hoc events as requested by members.
LMH currently demands one of the highest rents for undergraduates in Oxford at over £1000 per eight week term.
Long term residents of the college are the ducks which can be frequently seen waddling across the quad. One of these, Reg, was granted full membership of the Junior Common Room in order to stand for JCR Presidential elections in 2005.

Notable alumni

★ James Allen, Formula One commentator

★ Diana Athill, publisher's editor

★ Gertrude Bell, writer and diplomat

★ Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan

★ Elisabeth Blochmann, educationalist

★ Katharine Mary Briggs, writer

★ Caryl Churchill, playwright

★ Lindsey Davis, novelist

★ Antonia Fraser, writer

★ Michael Gove, politician

★ Baroness Hogg, journalist

★ Eglantyne Jebb, founder of Save the Children

★ Bridget Kendall, BBC diplomatic correspondent

★ Nigella Lawson, celebrity chef

★ Elizabeth Longford, writer

★ Eliza Manningham-Buller, former director general of MI5

★ Barbara Mills, former Director of Public Prosecutions

★ H. F. M. Prescott, historian

★ Diana Quick, actress

★ Johnny Rogan, author and broadcaster

★ Matthew Taylor, politician

★ Ann Trindade, historian

★ Baroness Warnock, philosopher

★ C. V. Wedgwood, historian

★ Samuel West, actor

★ Ann Widdecombe, politician

External links

★ LMH Home Page -- Official Site

★ Lady Margaret Hall MCR Website

★ Virtual Tour of Lady Margaret Hall
:See also .