Westfield College was a small college situated in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for

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 degr ...

degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and became

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

in 1964. In 1989, it merged with Queen Mary College. The merged institution was named Queen Mary and Westfield College until 2013, when the name was legally changed to Queen Mary University of London.

History

The college was founded in 1882 by Constance Louise Maynard (1849–1935) and

Ann Dudin Brown Ann Dudin Brown (1822–1917) was a benefactor. She funded the establishment of Westfield College for women. Life Brown was born to John Dudin Brown and his wife, Ann, on the 2nd January 1822. Her father was a wharfinger on the River Thames and a ...

with five students in Maresfield Gardens in Hampstead. Dudin Brown had intended to found a missionary school but she had been persuaded otherwise by Maynard and Mary Petrie.Janet Sondheimer, 'Brown, Ann Dudin (1822–1917)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200

accessed 8 September 2018 They worked with the Fanny Metcalfe, Metcalfe sisters. In 1891 the now named "Westfield College" moved to purpose-built buildings in Kidderpore Avenue, Hampstead. Dudin Brown was the founding benefactress and council member from 1882 to 1917.

Twentieth century

1902: Westfield College admitted as a School of the University of London in the Arts. 1915: University of London recognised the Botanical Laboratory for Honours work, allowing Westfield students to sit for Honours BSc as Internal students. 1927: Chapman Wing was completed. Decision taken to name individual college buildings. The Old Wing was renamed Maynard Wing, the New Wing was renamed Dudin Brown Wing, the new building was named Chapman Wing and the New Library was renamed Skeel Library. 1928: Westfield College confirmed as a School of the university. The Head of Westfield College was included among 9 Heads of Schools of the university to be members of the Senate. 1933: Grant of the

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, b ...

, Incorporating the college. 1939-1940: Westfield College relocated to St Peter's Hall,

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

after war broke out. 1941: Many of the college buildings, including Old House, requisitioned by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

for training the

Women's Royal Navy Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at th ...

. 1945: Westfield College returned to London. 1960: Westfield College formally acknowledged by the University of London as a School in the Faculty of Science. 1961: New Science Building completed. Westfield College began offering degrees in Botany, Zoology, Physics and Chemistry. 1969: Computer Services established, connected through a data link to the new central university computer. 1971: New Caroline Skeel Library was completed. 1971: First students admitted to study Computer Science at the new Department of Computer Science and Computer Unit. 1972: New purpose built Halls of Residence in Kidderpore Hall completed. The University of London's Murray Report published, expressing concerns about the smaller colleges, and placed in question the future of Westfield College as an independent institution. 1982: Decision made to transfer the Science Faculty to Queen Mary College. 1984: Most of the Science Faculty including Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Biochemistry and Zoology, and 68 members of staff transferred to Queen Mary College in Mile End. Computer Science teaching was transferred to Kings College. In the mid-to-late 1980s, the University of London underwent considerable reorganisation, and many smaller colleges were merged. Consequently, Westfield was merged with Queen Mary College in 1989, forming Queen Mary and Westfield College. Most student accommodation, administrative offices and several academic departments continued to be based at the Hampstead campus until 1992, however, and the college retained its separate identity. The new, combined, college was finally located at Queen Mary's site in Mile End, East London from 1992 onwards. However, some departments moved to King's College London and many academic staff moved to other colleges, such as

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

.CHRONOLOGY OF WESTFIELD COLLEGE
/ref> A history of the college called ''Castle Adamant in Hampstead'' was published in 1983.Janet Sondheimer (1983). ''Castle Adamant in Hampstead.''

Principals

Constance Maynard Constance Louisa Maynard (9 February 1849 – 26 March 1935) was the first principal of Westfield College (1882–1913) and a pioneer of women's education. She was the first woman to read Moral Sciences (philosophy) at the University of Cambridge ...

, 1882–1913 * Agnes de Selincourt, 1913–1917. * Anne Wakefield Richardson, 1917–1919 * Bertha Phillpotts 1919–1921 * Eleanor Constance Lodge, 1921–1929 * Dorothy Chapman, 1929–1939 *

Mary Stocks Mary Danvers Stocks, Baroness Stocks (née Brinton; 25 July 1891 – 6 July 1975) was a British writer. She was closely associated with the Strachey, the Wedgwood and the Ricardo families. Her family was deeply involved in changes in the Victo ...

, 1939–1951 * Kathleen Chesney, 1951–1962 * Pamela Matthews, 1962–1965 * Bryan Thwaites, 1965–1984 * John E. Varey, 1984–1989

End and legacy

King's College London took over the former Westfield site, which has been divided up over the years. The majority of the south side of the site (The Queen's Building and other teaching blocks) was demolished in the early 1990s to make way for The Westfield Apartments, a block of luxury private flats. The remainder of the south side (the Caroline Skeel Library, Ellison, Temple, Chesney and Stocks buildings) was used by King's College as student accommodation and as an archive. The north side of the site (Queen Mother Hall, Bay House, Old House, Maynard, Lady Chapman, Orchard I and II, Dudin-Brown and Skeel buildings) remains in use as student accommodation, with Orchard I and II renamed for Lord Cameron and Rosalind Franklin, respectively. Until 2005, the Old House was home to the London Jewish Cultural Centre. The Westfield College name was lost following the 2013 change of the merged institution's legal name to Queen Mary University of London. The new college's student accommodation complex (opened in 2004) is named the ''Westfield Student Village'' as a reminder of the history of Westfield College. Moreover, the Westfield Trust Prize, an academic cash prize given to outstanding undergraduate or postgraduates studying at Queen Mary, has been established in memory of the college. One of the university buildings, the non-denominational chapel built in 1929, was sold and became part of the Hampstead Manor development with its 156 homes of various types and sizes. Because it had deteriorated, the building was taken apart, re-built with modifications and renovated by the new owners. The chapel was on the market in early 2020 for £7.5 million. The Skeel Library, a Grade II listed property built in 1903–1904, also became part of the Hampstead Manor, and was also converted into a four bedroom family home.

Gallery

Westfield College (4625092160).jpg, 4 & 6 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, the original location of Westfield College Westfield College (4624486187).jpg, Plaque at 4 & 6 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead Ann Dudin Brown.jpg, Ann Dudin Brown Constance Louisa Maynard by George William Joy died 1925.jpg, Constance Maynard Bertha Surtees Phillpotts-1.jpg, Bertha Phillpotts (Part of) King's College London Hampstead Campus, Kidderpore Avenue, NW3 - geograph.org.uk - 1109791.jpg, The Old House, Westfield College, Kidderpore Avenue, Hampstead King's College Hampstead Campus, Kidderpore Avenue, NW3 - geograph.org.uk - 1087212.jpg, The Old House and Maynard building, Westfield College, Kidderpore Avenue, Hampstead

Alumni

Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' and his appearances on the panel shows '' Never Mind th ...

, comedian *

Joyce M. Bennett Joyce Mary Bennett (; 22 April 1923 – 11 July 2015) was the first Englishwoman to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Communion in 1971. Biography Bennett was born in London. She was educated at Burlington school, Westminster, which was eva ...

, first Englishwoman to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Communion * Rhys Bowen (née Janet Lee, married to John Quin-Harkin), author *

Jill Braithwaite Gillian Mary Braithwaite, Lady Braithwaite ( Robinson; 15 September 1937 – 10 November 2008), known as Jill Braithwaite, was a British diplomat and archaeologist. Early life Lady Braithwaite was born in London to Ida and Patrick Robinson. She ...

(née Gillian Mary Robinson), archaeologist, diplomat and social reformer *

Margaret Graham Brooke Margaret Graham Brooke (1863–1944) was one of the first students at Westfield College in London and a missionary in West Africa. Early life and education Born to Henry Edward Brooke, a clergyman, Margaret Brooke was educated at home until the age ...

, missionary *

Constance Bryant Constance Bryant (June 22, 1887–May 12, 1975) was an English missionary who served for the Fukien Mission under the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Bryant worked for over thirty years in East Asia. Her work led to founding the Fukien Christian ...

, missionary *

Mary Butts Mary Francis Butts, (13 December 1890 – 5 March 1937) also Mary Rodker by marriage, was an English modernist writer. Her work found recognition in literary magazines such as '' The Bookman'' and '' The Little Review'', as well as from fellow m ...

, writer *

Eleanora Carus-Wilson Eleanora Mary Carus-Wilson (1897 – 1 February 1977) was a British economic historian. She is known for her work on rural Medieval textile industries in England. She made significant contributions to the understanding of Medieval technology in ...

, economic historian *

Adrian Chiles Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967) is a British writer and television and radio presenter. He has co-presented both '' The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–2011) with Christine Lampard. He was also the chief presenter for fo ...

, TV presenter *Jane Coker, Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) *

Howard Colquhoun Howard Colquhoun is Emeritus Professor of Materials Chemistry in the University of Reading. He was born (1951) in County Durham and was educated at Washington Grammar School and at the University of Cambridge (St Catharine's College; MA), before ...

, chemist * Sarah Frankcom, artistic director of the

Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

, Manchester *

Frances Gardner Dame Frances Violet Gardner (28 February 1913 – 10 July 1989) was an English cardiologist. She introduced angiocardiography to Britain in 1946 and worked at the Royal Free Hospital from 1943 to 1975. Early life Frances Gardner was born in Ma ...

, cardiologist *

Margaret Gilmore Margaret Gilmore (born 9 February 1956) is a journalist, broadcaster, writer and analyst. She frequently broadcasts, writes and lectures on security issues and is a Senior Associate Fellow with the lead UK security think tank Royal United Service ...

, BBC journalist * Jane Hawking, author, wife to Stephen Hawking *

Naomi Lewis Naomi Lewis (3 September 1911 – 5 July 2009) was a British poet, essayist, literary critic, anthologist and reteller of stories for children. She is particularly noted for her translations of the Danish children's author, Hans Christian An ...

, author * David McCandless, information designer and author * Andrea Newman, author *

Sylvia Payne Sylvia May Payne (née Moore; 6 November 1880 – 30 May 1976) was one of the pioneers of psychoanalysis in the United Kingdom. Early life Born as Sylvia May Moore in Marylebone, London, the daughter of Rev. Edward William Moore and his wif ...

, psychiatrist * Martyn Rady, historian *

Jan Royall Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

, Labour politician * Eric Scerri, author, historian-philosopher of chemistry *

Richard Verrall Richard Verrall (born 1948) is a British Holocaust denier and former deputy chairman of the British National Front (NF) who edited the magazine '' Spearhead'' from 1976 to 1980. Under the ''nom de plume'' (pen name) of Richard E. Harwood, Verr ...

, fascist * Guy Walters, author * Nesta Webster (née Nesta Bevan), fascist *

Ed Whitmore Ed Whitmore is a British screenwriter. He has written for a number of successful British TV series such as '' Waking the Dead'' and ''Silent Witness''. Whitmore is an alumnus of Westfield College. Career In 2003 he wrote the ''Waking The Dead'' ...

, screenwriter * Zeng Baosun, teacher

Sources

* *

References

External links

2007 : Women@QM Project and Exhibition, a celebration of students and teachersWestfield College student lists
{{Authority control Queen Mary University of London Former women's universities and colleges in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1882 1882 establishments in England Former colleges of the University of London