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| Cambridge University Girton College |
| A great aerial view of Girton. |
Girton College was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and
Barbara Bodichon for the higher education of women, and
opened at Benslow House, Hitchin, in Hertfordshire, under the
name of the College for Women. In 1872, the present site was
purchased and the College renamed Girton College. The move
to the new buildings was completed in 1873. The College was
deliberately situated a couple of miles to the north of Cambridge
to "discourage marauding male undergraduates" - no doubt a
reflection of Victorian morals !! However, it was not until 1948
that Girton received the status of a College of Cambridge
University. Male undergraduates were admitted in 1979, and the
College now boasts an equal balance of male and female
students, this being matched by no other college at Cambridge.
Barbara Bodichon for the higher education of women, and
opened at Benslow House, Hitchin, in Hertfordshire, under the
name of the College for Women. In 1872, the present site was
purchased and the College renamed Girton College. The move
to the new buildings was completed in 1873. The College was
deliberately situated a couple of miles to the north of Cambridge
to "discourage marauding male undergraduates" - no doubt a
reflection of Victorian morals !! However, it was not until 1948
that Girton received the status of a College of Cambridge
University. Male undergraduates were admitted in 1979, and the
College now boasts an equal balance of male and female
students, this being matched by no other college at Cambridge.
| Follow this link for Girton College website. |
| The College Library is one of Girton's greatest assets, with some 95,000 books. This constitutes one of the largest of the student collections in Cambridge. |
| The grounds of Girton College are home to one of the very few black squirrel populations in Britain. |
| Girton alumni include Sandi Toksvig, comedian, and Queen Margarethe II of Denmark - and of course many others. Any suggestions for inclusion ? |
| Girtonians have a college chant - "We are Girton - super Girton ! No-one likes us. We don't care!", which is an imitation of the famous chant of Millwall FC fans - or perhaps vice versa ! It is sung to the tune of "We Are Sailing". |
| There are many jokes about the distance of Girton from the other colleges, eg more Cambridge students have visited Delhi than Girton. |
| Only five postcards so far, but we are always looking ! Do you have any you would like to contribute ? Please get in touch - email us ! We would like to add anecdotes, reminiscences or any odd or useless bits of information as well as postcards ! |
| Christ's Clare Corpus Christi Downing Emmanuel Fitzwilliam Gonville and Caius Homerton Hughes Hall Jesus King's Magdalene New Hall Newnham Pembroke Peterhouse Queens' St Catharine's St Edmund's St John's Selwyn Sidney Sussex St John's Trinity Trinity Hall Home Asia Europe North America Cambridge (City) Oxford Gift Shop |
| Christ's Clare Corpus Christi Downing Emmanuel Fitzwilliam Gonville and Caius Homerton Hughes Hall Jesus King's Magdalene New Hall Newnham Pembroke Peterhouse Queens' St Catharine's St Edmund's St John's Selwyn Sidney Sussex St John's Trinity Trinity Hall Home Asia Europe North America Cambridge (City) Oxford |
| A postcard of Girton from about 1910. |
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| We'd be delighted if you would sign our Guest Book, especially if you were at Girton ! We welcome suggestions, corrections and constructive criticism - or just say "Hello !" and tell us where you come from. |
| A postcard of Girton mailed in 1911. |
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| Reproductions of postcards with a (Z) following the description are available to buy from Zazzle - just click on the (Z) ! |
