St Mary's College, Durham
Encyclopedia
St Mary's College is a college of the University of Durham in England
. Following the grant of a supplemental charter in 1895 allowing women to receive degrees of the university, St Mary's was founded as the Women's Hostel in 1899, adopting its present name in May 1920. It is argurably the most asthetically pleasing of the Durham Hill Colleges and has a proud and distinguished history.
. This is now occupied by the Chorister School
. It is one of the Hill college
s on Elvet Hill and its founding stone was laid in 1947 by Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth site opened in 1952. Of all the colleges currently located on the Hill, St Mary's is the only college to have been originally founded in the 19th century.
For several decades there had been debates about St Mary’s continuing as a single-sex college within the University, and it had been originally mooted in the 1970s that it should go mixed. The MCR
(Middle Common Room), which consisted of postgraduate students, went mixed in the early 1990s. St Mary's was the last of Durham's colleges to become entirely mixed when it took in both males and females at undergraduate level in 2005, ending over a hundred years of tradition. During the decision-making process the student body was split. Some members of the College felt so strongly against the proposed plans in 2000 that they protested, marching on the University Offices at Old Shire Hall. There had been several polls of the student body over the issue of the College going mixed, and from 1999 onwards these were held almost annually. The results tended to be close, but marginally in favour of retaining the status quo.
The transition to a mixed college took place in 2005, and the first male JCR President, James Liddell, was elected in 2009. The college still provides single-sex accommodation for both sexes as and when required. The recently refurbished Shepherd wing (previously the Mews) of the Fergusson building is a segregated women's-only area for students who, for personal, religious or other reasons, would prefer single sex accommodation, and has proved very popular in the academic year 2006-2007. A refurbishment of the Williamson building took place between July and December 2007 and included the replacement of the central heating system, a new roof and full refurbishment of all study bedrooms at a cost of £1.5 million pounds.
, was built in the early 1950s and houses most of the College facilities, including the college's dining hall, two computer rooms, the College library, the Chapel, a laundry, two student common rooms and three music rooms. The Chapel is located on the top floor of the North East wing and was designed by the ecclesiastical architect George Pace. In addition to an interiors and furniture produced by Thompson of Kilburn (the Mouseman), it now houses a sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary by acclaimed sculptor Fenwick Lawson
, which was commissioned in 2005 by the College.
The basement location of the Chapel prior to the 1960s now houses the JCR Bar which is managed by a Student Sabbatical Bars Steward. Opposite the Bar entrance is the Toastie Bar. At the other end of the basement is the JCR Shop which stocks sweets and snacks as well as toiletries, college clothing and some memorabilia.
The Williamson building was built in the early 1960s and is mainly an accommodation block with 110 study bedrooms. On the ground floor there is a student common room and one half of the lower ground floor contains the JCR fitness room and a laundry.
The majority of students located on site are first years, who are required to 'live in'. These students change rooms each term using a 'room ballot' system to ensure that no-one has to share a room for more than one term of their first year. 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students often choose to 'live out' in houses around Durham, although accommodation is available on-site for those who want it. All those who live on site are fully catered, except in exceptional circumstances.
In the 1990s three ensuite blocks were built on to the front of the Williamson building and are the only ensuite rooms in the college, with the exception of a few located in the Shepherd Wing. These are mainly filled by 2nd, 3rd or 4th year students who move back into college accommodation, but some are made available to students from any year group who require an ensuite room for medical or personal reasons.
The College requires the wearing of gowns at formal dinners, which are held between two and three times a term and on the first and last Sunday of each term. Further to this the College requires gowns to be worn at JCR meetings and Matriculation
a Cross Formy Quadrate Gules
a Chief Azure
thereon a Durham Mitre
Or between two Lilies proper."
The college's motto is "Ancilla Domini" and can be translated to "Handmaiden of the Lord."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Following the grant of a supplemental charter in 1895 allowing women to receive degrees of the university, St Mary's was founded as the Women's Hostel in 1899, adopting its present name in May 1920. It is argurably the most asthetically pleasing of the Durham Hill Colleges and has a proud and distinguished history.
History
St Mary's original location was at 33 Claypath with six students before moving into Abbey House and then to The College behind Durham CathedralDurham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
. This is now occupied by the Chorister School
Chorister School
The Chorister School is a co-educational independent school for the 2 to 13 age range. It consists of a nursery , a pre-preparatory and preparatory day and boarding school in Durham, England...
. It is one of the Hill college
Hill college
Hill College may refer to:* Hill college, college of Durham University on Elvet Hill* Hill College, Hillsboro, Texas, USA...
s on Elvet Hill and its founding stone was laid in 1947 by Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth site opened in 1952. Of all the colleges currently located on the Hill, St Mary's is the only college to have been originally founded in the 19th century.
For several decades there had been debates about St Mary’s continuing as a single-sex college within the University, and it had been originally mooted in the 1970s that it should go mixed. The MCR
MCR
- Music :* Modena City Ramblers, an Italian folk rock band* My Chemical Romance, an American rock band* Middle Class Rut, an American rock band- Organisations :* Maryport and Carlisle Railway, a pre-gouping British railway company...
(Middle Common Room), which consisted of postgraduate students, went mixed in the early 1990s. St Mary's was the last of Durham's colleges to become entirely mixed when it took in both males and females at undergraduate level in 2005, ending over a hundred years of tradition. During the decision-making process the student body was split. Some members of the College felt so strongly against the proposed plans in 2000 that they protested, marching on the University Offices at Old Shire Hall. There had been several polls of the student body over the issue of the College going mixed, and from 1999 onwards these were held almost annually. The results tended to be close, but marginally in favour of retaining the status quo.
The transition to a mixed college took place in 2005, and the first male JCR President, James Liddell, was elected in 2009. The college still provides single-sex accommodation for both sexes as and when required. The recently refurbished Shepherd wing (previously the Mews) of the Fergusson building is a segregated women's-only area for students who, for personal, religious or other reasons, would prefer single sex accommodation, and has proved very popular in the academic year 2006-2007. A refurbishment of the Williamson building took place between July and December 2007 and included the replacement of the central heating system, a new roof and full refurbishment of all study bedrooms at a cost of £1.5 million pounds.
Facilities & Traditions
The College is centred around two main buildings: the Fergusson and Williamson Buildings. The Fergusson building, designed by Vincent HarrisVincent Harris
Emanuel Vincent Harris OBE, RA was an English architect who designed several important public buildings.He was born in Devonport, Devon and educated at Kingsbridge Grammar School. He was articled to the Plymouth architect James Harvey in 1893; in 1897 he moved to London where he assisted E. Keynes...
, was built in the early 1950s and houses most of the College facilities, including the college's dining hall, two computer rooms, the College library, the Chapel, a laundry, two student common rooms and three music rooms. The Chapel is located on the top floor of the North East wing and was designed by the ecclesiastical architect George Pace. In addition to an interiors and furniture produced by Thompson of Kilburn (the Mouseman), it now houses a sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary by acclaimed sculptor Fenwick Lawson
Fenwick Lawson
Fenwick Justin John Lawson, ARCA , commonly known as Fenwick Lawson, is an English sculptor based in the north-east of England.-Life:Fenwick Lawson was born in 1932 in South Moor, Co...
, which was commissioned in 2005 by the College.
The basement location of the Chapel prior to the 1960s now houses the JCR Bar which is managed by a Student Sabbatical Bars Steward. Opposite the Bar entrance is the Toastie Bar. At the other end of the basement is the JCR Shop which stocks sweets and snacks as well as toiletries, college clothing and some memorabilia.
The Williamson building was built in the early 1960s and is mainly an accommodation block with 110 study bedrooms. On the ground floor there is a student common room and one half of the lower ground floor contains the JCR fitness room and a laundry.
The majority of students located on site are first years, who are required to 'live in'. These students change rooms each term using a 'room ballot' system to ensure that no-one has to share a room for more than one term of their first year. 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students often choose to 'live out' in houses around Durham, although accommodation is available on-site for those who want it. All those who live on site are fully catered, except in exceptional circumstances.
In the 1990s three ensuite blocks were built on to the front of the Williamson building and are the only ensuite rooms in the college, with the exception of a few located in the Shepherd Wing. These are mainly filled by 2nd, 3rd or 4th year students who move back into college accommodation, but some are made available to students from any year group who require an ensuite room for medical or personal reasons.
The College requires the wearing of gowns at formal dinners, which are held between two and three times a term and on the first and last Sunday of each term. Further to this the College requires gowns to be worn at JCR meetings and Matriculation
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
College shield and arms
The college arms are blazoned as "ArgentArgent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
a Cross Formy Quadrate Gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
a Chief Azure
Azure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
thereon a Durham Mitre
Mitre
The mitre , also spelled miter, is a type of headwear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox...
Or between two Lilies proper."
The college's motto is "Ancilla Domini" and can be translated to "Handmaiden of the Lord."
List of Principals
- 1899 Miss Laura Roberts
- 1900 Miss Elizabeth Robinson
- 1913 Miss Phyllis Wragge
- 1915 Miss Rachel E D Donaldson
- 1940 Miss Margaret B Fergusson
- 1955 Dame Elsie Marjorie WilliamsonMarjorie WilliamsonDame Elsie Marjorie Williamson, DBE was a British academic, educator, physicist and university administrator.-Education:...
- 1962 Mrs Mary Holdsworth
- 1974 Mrs Florence I Prowse (née Calvert)
- 1977 Miss Joan M Kenworthy
- 1999 Miss Jenifer L Hobbs
- 2007 Professor Phil Gilmartin
- 2011 Professor Simon Hackett
Alumni
- Olive Sinclair - politician
- Christiana Odulana - educationist
- Biddy BaxterBiddy BaxterBiddy Baxter MBE is best known as the former editor of the long-running popular BBC One children’s magazine show Blue Peter, a position she held from 1965 to 1988. She was also its producer from 1962 to 1965...
- Children's TV presenter/radio host - Ann Burdus - Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year Award winner
- Jane GriffithsJane Griffiths (politician)Jane Patricia Griffiths is a British linguist and politician. She held positions as a Labour councillor on Reading Borough Council, and as Labour Member of Parliament for the Reading East parliamentary constituency...
- politician - Jenny WillottJenny WillottJennifer Nancy Willott is a British politician and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central since the 2005 general election. She is the first woman and the first Liberal Democrat to represent her seat....
- politician - Katharine GunKatharine GunKatharine Teresa Gun is a former translator for Government Communications Headquarters , a British intelligence agency...
- GCHQ translator and whistleblower - Tracy Langlands - world champion bronze medalBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
list rower
External links
- St Mary's College official website
- St Mary's College JCR student organisation
- St Mary's College MCR Middle Common Room
- St Mary's College Boat Club Boat Club
- St Mary's College Society Alumni Association
- St Mary's College Hockey Club Hockey Club