Girton College

Girton College stands four kilometres northwest of Cambridge on 20 hectares of land. Founded in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon, it began as the first residential college for women in England. The college moved to its present site in 1873 and grew under architect Alfred Waterhouse’s Victorian red-brick designs. By 1902 the Chapel, Hall and several wings housed 180 students. In 1948 it became a full Cambridge college when women gained full membership of the university. The college’s early fight for women’s education produced notable figures such as Queen Margrethe II and former UK Supreme Court President Lady Hale. Its academic record shows an average rank of 20th in the Tompkins Table over two decades. In 1976 Girton became the first Cambridge women’s college to admit men, creating shared facilities while keeping one all-female corridor. Current Mistress Elisabeth Kendall leads the college from within its precincts. Visitors walk past Waterhouse’s original blocks and later wings that frame lawns and gardens. The Chapel Wing and Hall remain central to college life. Old Kitchens and Stanley Library preserve the college’s 19th-century character. Sports pitches and a bar added after 1979 sit among the mature trees. The setting offers quiet views across fields towards Girton village.