Hughes Hall is a

constituent college A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the C ...

of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is the oldest of the University of Cambridge's

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

colleges. The college also admits

undergraduates Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

, though undergraduates admitted by the college must be aged 21 or over. There is no age requirement for postgraduate students. The majority of Hughes Hall students are

, although nearly one-fifth of the student population comprises individuals aged 21 and above who are studying

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

degree courses at the university. Hughes Hall was founded in the 19th century as the Cambridge Training College for Women with the purpose of providing a college of the university dedicated to training women graduates for the teaching profession. Since then it has enlarged and expanded to support a community of students and researchers, both male and female, working in all the academic domains encompassed by the University of Cambridge. The college is housed in a number of 19th and 20th century buildings at a main site immediately adjacent to the University of Cambridge's Cricket ground, and between the City Centre and the railway station.

History

In 1878 the University of Cambridge established a Teachers' Training Syndicate to develop a training curriculum in education for students of the university intending to become teachers. Hughes Hall was established in 1885 as a college for women graduate students taking the Teacher Training curriculum. Key amongst its early supporters and founders were Rev. G. F. Browne, fellow of St Catharine's College, Miss

Frances Buss Frances Mary Buss (16 August 1827 – 24 December 1894) was a British headmistress and a pioneer of girls' education. Life The daughter of Robert William Buss, a painter and etcher, and his wife, Frances Fleetwood, Buss was one of six of thei ...

, headmistress of the

North London Collegiate School North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is an independent school with a day school for girls in England. Founded in Camden Town, it is now located in Edgware, in the London Borough of Harrow. Associate schools are located in South Korea, Jeju I ...

, Miss

Anne Clough Anne Jemima Clough (20 January 182027 February 1892) was an early English suffragist and a promoter of higher education for women. She was the first principal of Newnham College. Life Clough was born at Liverpool, Lancashire, the daughter of c ...

, first principal of

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...

, and Professor James Ward, fellow of

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

The college was initially founded as the Cambridge Training College for Women, and it began with 14 students in a small house in Newnham called Crofton Cottage. The first principal was a graduate of Newnham College, Elizabeth Phillips Hughes (1851-1925), who was in post from 1885 to 1899. In 1895, the college moved to a distinguished purpose-built building, designed by architect William Fawcett, overlooking Fenner's Cricket Ground - which continues to be the main college building to this day. One of the first matriculants, Molly Thomas, recounted the experience of the first class of students in ''A London Girl of the 1880s'', published under her married name, M.V. Hughes. Following recognition of full membership of the university for women in 1947, the college formally became a recognized institution of the university in 1949 and was renamed Hughes Hall in honour of its first principal. The college became an approved foundation of the university in 1985, and received a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

marking its full college status in 2006. The college's first male students arrived in 1973, making Hughes Hall the first of the all-female colleges to admit men, and from that time students began to study a wider range of affiliated post-graduate degrees. Student numbers gradually increased in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, Hughes Hall has about 500 graduate students and around 90 undergraduates, all students are "mature" (aged over 21), and the college accommodates study in the wide range of studies taught in the university. The college is one of the most international Cambridge colleges, with its students representing over 60 nationalities. In November 2019,

Prince Andrew Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

resigned as the honorary fellow of Hughes Hall amid the

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American sex offender and financier. Epstein, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, began his professional life by teaching at the Dalton School in Manhattan, des ...

scandal.

College site

Buildings

The college's main building, known as the Wileman Building, was designed by architect William Fawcett and built in 1895. It was opened by

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician George Robinson, the first Marquess of Ripon. The building is Grade II listed, red brick in Neo-Dutch style, and has an especially notable terracotta porch. One wing of the Wileman Building is named the Pfeiffer Wing, after husband and wife Jurgen Edward Pfeiffer and Emily Pfeiffer who funded much of the construction cost as part of their mission to support and develop women's education. The building, and its various more modern wings, contains student rooms, the college library, social areas and study spaces, and various college administrative offices. Next door to the Wileman Building is Wollaston Lodge, a fine symmetrical early-20th century building in buff brick, designed by E. S. Prior, that provides further student accommodation. More recent buildings on the college site, all of which provide accommodation and other facilities for students, include Chancellor’s Court, inaugurated in 1992 by the then Chancellor of the University, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Centenary Building, which opened in 1997. In 2005 Hughes opened a new residential, dining, and meeting building, the Fenner's Building, which is immediately beside and overlooks the university cricket ground, also named Fenner's. It is possible to see the spire of the

Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs, also known as the Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs (OLEM), is an English Roman Catholic parish church located at the junction of Hills Road and Lensfield Road in southeas ...

—the tallest church spire in Cambridge—from the building's west-facing windows and terraces. The college also owns a number of houses in the nearby area which provide additional student accommodation. In 2014 the college acquired the former Cambridge University gym building on Gresham Road, which is directly across the cricket ground from the main college site, to develop as a new facility—construction began on the site in 2015.

Location

The main college site is near the middle of Cambridge, halfway between

Cambridge railway station Cambridge railway station is the principal station serving the city of Cambridge in the east of England. It stands at the end of Station Road, south-east of the city centre. It is the northern terminus of the West Anglia Main Line, down th ...

and the Market Square. The college is located in the Petersfield area of the city, close to Mill Road and accessible from Mortimer Road. The main site is in a mainly residential area, and it is immediately beside

Fenner's Fenner's is Cambridge University Cricket Club's ground. History Cambridge University Cricket Club had previously played at two grounds in Cambridge, the University Ground and Parker's Piece. In 1846, Francis Fenner leased a former cherry orchard ...

, the Cambridge University Cricket ground, and across the road from Parkside Pools and Kelsey Kerridge Gym, which are the main public sports facilities in the city. A short walk from the college is the Mill Road Cemetery where a number of the university's renowned historic figures, including astronomer

James Challis James Challis FRS (12 December 1803 – 3 December 1882) was an English clergyman, physicist and astronomer. Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy and the director of the Cambridge Observatory, he investigated a wide ra ...

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

's editor

Percival Frost Percival Frost (1817–1898), was an English mathematician. Life Percival Frost was born at Kingston upon Hull on 1 September 1817, the second son of Charles Frost. He was educated at Beverley and Oakham, and entered St. John's College, Cambrid ...

, and historian John Seeley are buried.

Transport links

Hughes Hall is the nearest of the university's colleges to

and to the main city centre arrival-departure point for long-distances coaches at Parkside. The most direct access route from the college into the centre of Cambridge for cyclists and pedestrians is across Parker's Piece, an open park where the rules of football were first codified (1848).

Student life

Students and

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s of the college take part in research and study across the full spectrum of the University of Cambridge's fields of activity. Hughes Hall is known for its international and egalitarian ethos, the college does not have a

high table The high table is a table for the use of fellows (members of the Senior Common Room) and their guests in large university dining halls in anglo-saxon countries, where the students eat in the main space of the hall at the same time. They remain ...

.Students can walk on college lawns. The college's historic establishment in the 19th century with the purpose of supporting graduate study in education has continued and developed over time with a significant number of students each year taking courses in professional and applied fields, alongside those studying and carrying out research in more traditional Arts and Humanities subjects. With a mainly postgraduate student body, undergraduates share facilities and an intellectual culture with PhD researchers and MPhil students. The college punt is called "Buffyfish". It was built by former graduate students at Hughes and donated to the MCR.

Societies and sports

Hughes Hall has an active student sports calendar with college teams in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Rowing, Rugby, Squash, Table Tennis, and others. Members of the college are also active in sports and teams at university and national level. There are a number of college societies, including a Chess Club, Film Society, Writing Group, and Law Society amongst others. The college's "Hat Club" organises events where students and fellows present papers on their research and study to an audience of college members, and the Enterprise Society supports and encourages students with an interest in starting their own business.

Music

The college's main performance space is the Pavilion Room which hosts a number of regular musical groups and organizations. The Stradivari Trust, the Cambridge Graduate Orchestra, and the college's Margaret Wileman Society use the space on a regular basis. There is also a program of ad hoc student recitals and concerts, including by the college choir which incorporates students and fellows of the college.

Boat Club

Hughes Hall May Bumps 2019 Saturday Blades

Hughes Hall Boat Club is the

rowing club A rowing club is a club for people interested in the sport of Rowing. Rowing clubs are usually near a body of water, whether natural or artificial, that is large enough for manoeuvering the shells (rowing boats). Clubs usually have a boat house wi ...

of the college, in 2003 there was an official merger with the boat club of

Lucy Cavendish College Lucy Cavendish College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college is named in honour of Lucy Cavendish (1841–1925), who campaigned for the reform of women's education. History The college was founded in 1965 by ...

(then a graduate women-only college of the university) creating the "Hughes Hall/Lucy Cavendish Combined Boat Club". The Club has been successful in the

May Bumps The May Bumps (also May Races, Mays) are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of M ...

with the men's first crew winning blades (a distinction accorded to a boat bumping each day of the bumps) in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014. Uniquely, the Club has been recipient of the Pegasus Cup, awarded to the most successful college boat club competing in the May Bumps each year, three times (2007, 2009, 2014). The women's first crew won blades for the first time after the demerger from Lucy Cavendish in the Lent Bumps 2019. Members of Hughes Hall have regularly been selected for the Cambridge team in the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Boat Race. In 2015, the men's team included three members of Hughes Hall (Jasper Holst, Ben Ruble, Henry Hoffstot), and the women's boat was coxed by a member of the college (Rosemary Ostfeld). Henry Hoffstot also appeared for Cambridge in the Race in 2014. In 2019, two members of the Cambridge Blue Crew were present in the men's first crew for May Bumps, including Cambridge University Boat Club President Dara Alizadeh. Also present in the boat was Cambridge University Boat Club rower Grant Bitler and Spare-Pair rower Harry Baxter. The Boat Club houses its six rowing shells in the Emmanuel College boathouse.

May Ball

Hughes Hall holds a

May Ball A May Ball is a ball at the end of the academic year that takes place at any of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. They are elaborate and lavish formal affairs, requiring black tie or sometimes white tie, with ticket prices ranging fro ...

each year, often with a global or international theme. In 2015, the theme was " Around the World in 12 Hours", and in 2014 the theme was " Terra do Brasil".

Lectures

The college hosts a number of lectures and talks throughout the year. Amongst the most significant annual events are the City Lecture, the Kathleen Hughes Memorial Lecture, and the Honor Chapman Lecture. The City Lecture invites speakers from the business and commercial worlds, it was established in 2000. Speakers in recent years have included Lionel Barber, the editor of the

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

, and Sir

Martin Sorrell Sir Martin Stuart Sorrell (born 14 February 1945) is a British businessman and the founder of WPP plc, the world's largest advertising and PR group, both by revenue and the number of staff. Upon being ousted in April 2018, Sorrell was the longe ...

, chief executive of

WPP plc WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It was the world's largest advertising company, as of 2019. WPP plc owns many compan ...

. The Kathleen Hughes Memorial Lecture is given in association with the University of Cambridge

Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC or, informally, ASNaC) is one of the constituent departments of the University of Cambridge, and focuses on the history, material culture, languages and literatures of the various peoples who i ...

. Recent speakers have included Dr James Fraser on Iona and the Burial Places of the Kings of Alba, and Prof Nancy Edwards, on The Early Medieval Sculpture of Wales. A pamphlet is produced in association with the lecture by the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. The Honor Chapman Lecture was instituted in 2014 - the first two speakers were Dame

Judith Mayhew Jonas Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, (born 18 October 1948) is a New Zealand-born British solicitor, local government politician and academic. She is currently the Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, England, and has been the first woman ...

, lawyer and academic, and Alison Nimmo CBE, chief executive of the

Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priv ...

Notable members

Principals/Presidents

The college's head was titled as "Principal" until 1973, and subsequently as "President".

Principals

*1885–1899: Elizabeth Hughes *1899–1902: Margaret Punnett *1902–1908: Helena Powell *1908–1933: Mary Hay Wood *1933–1945: Henriette Dent *1945–1953: Marguerite Verini *1953–1973: Margaret Wileman

Presidents

*1973–1978: Sir Desmond Lee *1978–1984: Richard D'Aeth *1984–1989: Basil Herbertson *1989–1993: Desmond Hawkins *1993–1998: John Dingle *1998–2006: Peter Richards *2006–2014:

Sarah Squire Sarah Squire (''née'' Hutchison; born 18 July 1949), is a British former diplomat. She was President of Hughes Hall, a college of the University of Cambridge, from 2006 to 2014.Anthony Freeling Anthony Nigel Stanley Freeling (born 6 August 1956) is a British management consultant, marketing expert, university administrator, and academic. Since October 2022, he has been Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was Presiden ...

*2022:

Laurie Bristow Sir Laurence Stanley Charles Bristow (born 23 November 1963) is a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to Afghanistan between June and November 2021, notably during the fall of Kabul. He served as British Ambassador to Azerbaija ...

Fellows

Nevin Hughes-Jones Nevin Campbell Hughes-Jones FRCP, FRS (born 10 February 1923) is a British haematologist Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, a ...

, haematologist, Fellow of the Royal Society *

Neil Mercer Neil Mercer is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge. Mercer grew up in Cockermouth in Cumbria, where he went to Cockermouth Grammar School before studying psychology at the University of Manchester. He has a PhD in psyc ...

, Professor of Education in the University of Cambridge *

Marc Weller Marc Weller (born 27 October 1951 in Mutzig) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was part of the SC Bastia Sporting Club Bastiais ( co, Sporting Club di Bastia, commonly referred to as SC Bastia or si ...

, University of Cambridge Professor of International Law and International Constitutional Studies

Alumni

File:Andrew Murrison.jpg,

Andrew Murrison Andrew William Murrison (born 24 April 1961) is a British doctor, naval officer and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Wiltshire, previously Westbury, since the 2001 ...

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician,

Minister of State for Northern Ireland The Minister of State for Northern Ireland is a mid-level position in the Northern Ireland Office in the British government. It is currently held by Steve Baker, who took the office on 7 September 2022. Responsibilities The minister has the ...

File:Annette Brooke.jpg,

Annette Brooke Dame Annette Lesley Brooke, DBE (''née'' Kelly; born 7 June 1947) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Dorset and North Poole from the 2001 general election to 2015. At the time she left ...

Liberal Democrats MP File:Alan Leong 2015.jpg,

Alan Leong Alan Leong Kah-kit (; born 22 February 1958), SC is a former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, representing the Kowloon East geographical constituency, and the sitting-Chairman of the Civic Party. He was also vice-chairperson of th ...

Member of the

Hong Kong Legislative Council The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's "one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong' ...

and Leader of the

Civic Party The Civic Party (CP) is a pro-democracy liberal political party in Hong Kong. It is currently chaired by barrister Alan Leong. The party was formed in 2006 on the basis of the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, which was derived from the ...

File:Tom Ransley - Our Great Team Parade.jpg,

Tom Ransley Thomas Matthew Ransley (born 6 September 1985) is a retired British rower. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro he was part of the British crew that won the gold medal in the eight, was twice a World Champion and in 2015 was the Eur ...

GB Rower, World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist File:Roxana Saberi headshot.jpeg,

Roxana Saberi Roxana Saberi (born April 26, 1977) is an American CBS News correspondent and former Miss North Dakota pageant winner. In 2009, she was held prisoner in Iran's Evin Prison for 101 days under accusations of espionage. She subsequently wrote a b ...

American journalist for

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and former

Miss North Dakota The Miss North Dakota competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of North Dakota in the Miss America pageant. The first Miss North Dakota to compete at Miss America was Kitty Page in 1949. In 2017, Cara Mund beca ...

File:Liam Mooney.jpg, Liam Mooney

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

based businessman and entrepreneur

Honorary Fellows

*Nigel Brown OBE, former chairman of N.W. Brown Group Ltd. *John Dingle, Director of the Strangeways Research Laboratory (1979–1993), President of Hughes Hall (1993–1998) * Sir Terence English, pioneer transplant surgeon * Hermann Hauser FRS, pioneer technology entrepreneur * John Hopkins, former Cambridge University Lecturer in Law, former Hughes Hall Director of Studies in Law * Dame Cleo Laine, jazz and pop singer, actress * Sir Peter Mansfield FRS, physicist and Nobel laureate *

Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers Nicholas Addison Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, (born 21 January 1938) is a British former senior judge. Phillips was the inaugural President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, holding office between October 2009 and Oc ...

, President of the UK Supreme Court (2009–2012) * Dame Janet Smith, former Judge of the High Court and Court of Appeals *

Evan Wallach Evan Jonathan Wallach (born November 11, 1949) is an American lawyer and Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. A former United States Judge of the United States Court of International T ...

, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

References

External links

Hughes Hall websiteCollege MCR website
{{Authority control Colleges of the University of Cambridge Educational institutions established in 1885 1885 establishments in England Former women's universities and colleges in the United Kingdom Teacher training colleges in the United Kingdom