Somerville College

Somerville College stands in Oxford near the University Parks and the Science Area. Founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, it was one of Oxford’s first two women’s colleges and began admitting men in 1994. The college was created by social liberals to offer a non-denominational education for women, unlike the Anglican Lady Margaret Hall. It was named after the mathematician Mary Somerville, admired for her scholarship and advocacy of women’s rights. The college’s liberal tradition is reflected in its early decision to stop locking students in at night. No academic gowns are worn at formal meals, and the college was recognised in 2021 as a sanctuary campus. Somerville has educated many notable figures, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dorothy Hodgkin. Over a third of its 650 students come from outside the UK, and more than half of UK undergraduates are from state schools. The college owns assets worth over £247 million, making it one of Oxford’s wealthiest undergraduate colleges. Its sister college at Cambridge is Girton, and it stands close to other university buildings like Oxford University Press and Keble College. Visitors to Somerville find a modern college with historic roots. The library, built in 1894, was the first among Oxford’s women’s halls. The college’s grounds lie near the University Parks, offering peaceful walks. Formal halls are held without gowns, reflecting the college’s relaxed traditions. The Mutual Admiration Society, a literary circle that included Dorothy L. Sayers, began here. The college’s wartime history is visible in its former use as a military hospital during the First World War.