Eleanor Grove (1826 – 22 November 1905) was a British translator and educationist. She was the founding principal of College Hall in London that allowed women to live in

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

and attend the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

. She and her life long partner,

Rosa Morison Rosa Morison (5 June 1841 – 8 February 1912) was a British linguist and educationist. She offered her services for free to College Hall, London and became their first Lady Superintendent of Women Students. She worked there until her death, ou ...

, have a building named after them.

Life

Grove was born in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

in 1826. Her parents were Mary Blades and Thomas Grove, Her father was a dealer in fish and venison and he was a congregationalist. She had many siblings, one of whom was an elder brother, George, who became an engineer but is now known for '' Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians''. Grove's parents left her well provided for and she was able to decide how she would spend her life. She worked as a governess in Germany and in Austria and she translated two novels: ''An Egyptian Princess'' by Georg Ebers and '' Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship'' by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

. When a job was advertised at

Queen's College, London Queen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18 with an adjoining prep school for girls aged 4–11 located in the City of Westminster, London. Founded in 1848 by theologian and social reformer Frederick Denison Maurice along w ...

for an assistant secretary, Grove was so qualified that she was given the job despite missing the interview. Her brother, George Grove, the engineer and musicologist, had told her of the position and he attended the interview on her behalf. It was there that she met the linguist Rosa Morison who had been employed as assistant secretary in 1872. Grove was later promoted to Lady Resident. She oversaw the staff, guided the students and where necessary imposed discipline. Grove and Morison loved the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

and they had similar views on the education of women. In 1881 they lost confidence in the management of Queen's College, which they considered lax and inefficient. Moreover the college was failing to rise to the opportunity raised by the aspiring ambitions for women's education by the University of London. The pair left their jobs and set out on a brief holiday travelling in Germany together. On their return, they approached the University of London with an offer to work for nothing. Morison became Vice-Principal at the university's newly opened College Hall and Grove was appointed Principal. Eleanor was able to use her connections to find a building for the college (and the two of them) at 1 Byng Place, Torrington Square. College Hall opened at the former Coward College in 1882, initially with rooms for nine students; by 1884 there were seventeen students as other buildings were added. Morison was promoted in 1883 to the new post of "Lady Superintendent of Women Students".

Death and legacy

Grove's poor health obliged her to retire in 1890 to a nearby house at 15

Tavistock Place Tavistock Square is a public town square, square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. History Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton (property developer), James Burton and the Master Buil ...

, where she died of heart failure in 1905. After a service at St Pancras, London, she was buried in the family vault at

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

grants an annual scholarship in her name. In 2018 created a new hall of residence that was named Eleanor Rosa Hall to commemorate the contribution of Rosa Morison and Eleanor Grove to women's education. The new building has 33 floors and capacity for 500 students. The interior design is inspired by its namesakes.

Life

Death and legacy

References

Further reading