Maria O'Hanrahan: A visit to Newnham College
As part of the Virginia Woolf Summer Course, our visit to Newnham College on Thursday 27 July 2023 was significant in so many different ways. Being physically present in one of the first two Women’s Colleges in Cambridge, Newnham College gave me a greater appreciation of what Viriginia Woolf was writing about in A Room of One’s Own and indeed throughout her novels in her female characterization. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, a woman’s place within the patriarchal tradition needed to change in order for women to get the same opportunities for education as their male counterparts. This visit to Newnham really opened my eyes to just how difficult that struggle actually was.
Ann Kennedy Smith, Eve Lacey and Frieda Midgley gave wonderful talks on the history of Newnham College, from its beginnings in 1871 as a house for 5 students in Regent Street, Cambridge, detailing the reality of women’s experience in obtaining a university education. It was a long struggle with so many obstacles along the way. Considering women sat the same exams as the men it is difficult to comprehend that women were not permitted to receive full degrees at Cambridge until 1948! Interesting to note that in 1921 there was a vote to grant full degrees to women which was defeated. On 20 October 1921, following the vote, between 1300 and 1500 undergraduate men made their way to Newnham College and attempted to force their way through the bronze Clough Gates by ramming them with a handcart causing a lot of damage. I think this incident truly reflected who had the power and how threatened the male fraternity felt by the inevitable changes that were coming. You can read more about this on the Newnham College website.
Ann also gave us the background to Pernel Strachey who was Principal of Newnham from 1923 to 1941. Pernel’s background was fascinating, encompassing her large Anglo-Indian family, whose mother, Jane, valued the importance of an education for her daughters, despite not having access to one herself. Lady Jane Strachey was also good friends with Millicent Garrett Fawcett who was a suffragist and a co-founder of Newnham College. Millicent’s daughter, Philippa, was ranked above the Senior Wrangler, i.e. top in the Mathematical Tripos which was an entirely male preserve. Pernel studied history for 2 years and then switched to Modern and Medieval languages obtaining a first in 1899 in her final exams. Despite her achievements she could not receive a degree! Pernel knew Virginia and Leonard Woolf and they visited Cambridge in 1941 and stayed in her flat. Virginia died a month later and Pernel was one of the last people Virginia saw before she died.
It was a young student, Elsie Phare, who invited Virginia Woolf to lecture at Newnham in 1928. On 20 October 1928 Virginia, accompanied by her husband Leonard, her sister Vanessa and her niece Angelica, gave a lecture to the Arts Society. Despite the fact Virginia did not get a university education herself she truly understood how vital it was that women came out of the shadows to claim their rightful place alongside men in their pursuit of change from their role as the ‘Angel of the House’. On the Newnham College website today I read the following;
In the 21st Century, Newnham College continues to challenge stereotypes and limitations. We pride ourselves on being a place at which people can fulfill their potential, wherever that journey may lead us.
… and so continues the legacy of these visionary women. Education for all really resonates with me as I completed a degree as a very mature student and I was the first of my family to go to university. As I learned of the struggle and the persistence of so many courageous women at Newnham (and indeed at many other universities), I for one remain truly grateful.
Maria O’Hanrahan
Dublin, Ireland
Photos by Seb Peters and Trudi Tate
