Colleges and halls of the University of Oxford Lady Margaret Hall
College name	Lady Margaret Hall
Motto	French:Souvent me Souviens English:I remember often
Named after	Lady Margaret Beaufort
Established	1878
Sister college	Newnham College, Cambridge
Principal	Dr Frances Lannon
Undergraduates	403[1] (2011/2012)
Graduates	174
Location of Lady Margaret Hall within central OxfordCoordinates: 51°45′53″N 1°15′15″W / 51.76483°N 1.254036°W / 51.76483; -1.254036
Homepage
Boat club
Blazon	Or, on a chevron between in chief two talbots passant and in base a bell azure a portcullis of the field.

Lady Margaret Hall (abbreviated to LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens in north Oxford. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £34m.^[2]

Lady Margaret Hall was founded in 1878 as the first women's college in Oxford, and did not accept men until 1979. Lady Margaret Hall accepts both undergraduate and graduate students. It is currently ranked 29th, and was previously bottom, in Oxford's Norrington Table.^[3]

History [edit]

Lady Margaret Hall, the first women's college in Oxford, was founded in 1878 and opened its doors to its first nine students the following year. It was founded by Edward Stuart Talbot, then Warden of Keble College, and his wife Lavinia.^[4] The college was named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, renowned patron of scholarship and learning. Its first principal was Elizabeth Wordsworth, the great-niece of the poet William Wordsworth and daughter of Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln.

In 1979, one hundred years after its foundation, LMH began admitting men as well as women; it was the first of the women's colleges to do so, along with St. Anne's.

The college's coat of arms features devices that recall those associated with its foundation. The portcullis is from the arms of Lady Margaret Beaufort, the bell is a symbol of the Wordsworth family, and the Talbot dogs represent Edward Talbot.

Its colours are blue and yellow (sometimes also with white), and its motto is "Souvent me Souviens", an Old French phrase meaning "I remember often".

Buildings and architecture [edit]

Students in the quadrangle outside Talbot Hall

Lady Margaret Hall is one of the few Oxford colleges on the River Cherwell and is known for its lovely gardens set in spacious grounds (about 12 acres (49,000 m²)). The college's original house, now known as Old Old Hall, is still in use. Just behind the main buildings, are a set of playing fields and tennis courts, as well as a manicured Fellows' Garden, hidden from view by tall hedgerows. Giles Gilbert Scott, famous for designing Liverpool Cathedral and the K2 red telephone box designed the college's Byzantine-style chapel.

The architect of the main college buildings was Sir Reginald Blomfield who used the French Renaissance style of the 17th century and chose red brick with white stone facings. The central block, the Talbot Building (1910) contains the Hall and Library, while the accommodation for students and tutors is divided between three wings, the Wordsworth Building (1896), the Toynbee Building (1915) and the Lodge Building (1926). The Hall contains some fine oak panelling donated by former students to honour Elizabeth Wordsworth. The portraits in the Hall include the work of notable artists; among the portraits of principals is Sir J. J. Shannon's portrait of Dame Elizabeth, Philip de Laszlo's of Miss Jex-Blake, Sir Rodrigo Moynihan's of Dr Grier and Maud Sumner's of Miss Sutherland. In the Library is a fine marble statue by Edith Bateson. The chapel in the form of a Greek cross was dedicated by the college's founder Edward Stuart Talbot, in January 1933.^[5]

In the summer of 2006 a new law library was constructed beneath the extant library; it was opened that year by Cherie Blair.^[6]

Its newest building, Pipe Partridge Building was completed in early 2010. This building includes a 120-seat lecture theatre, a dining hall, seminar rooms, JCR common rooms, and 60 new undergraduate study bedrooms. It was opened by the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Lord Patten of Barnes, in April 2010.^[7]

The bell in the clock above the lodge rings hourly between 08:00 and 22:00.

Middle Common Room [edit]

The college's Middle Common Room (MCR) admits approximately 100 members each year, and consists of around 160 members. MCR members currently have the use of their own common room, consisting of a kitchen, TV room and lounge; as well as their own computer room. Next year building will commence for a whole new graduate centre which will see increased facilities for the MCR, including a new common room as well as increased graduate accommodation. This building will be part of a large change to the front of the college.

Notable alumni [edit]

• James Allen, Formula One commentator
• Diana Athill, publisher's editor
• Gertrude Bell, writer and diplomat
• Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan
• Nicky Blair, son of former Prime Minister Tony Blair
• Elisabeth Blochmann, educationalist
• Katharine Mary Briggs, writer
• Caryl Churchill, playwright
• Danny Cohen, Controller of BBC One
• Donal Coonan, presenter
• Lindsey Davis, novelist
• Antonia Fraser, writer
• Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education.
• Eric Greitens, author, former Rhodes Scholar and Navy SEAL, current CEO of The Mission Continues
• Alethea Hayter, author
• Stephen Hester, RBS CEO
• Tim Hetherington, photojournalist
• Baroness Hogg, journalist
• Philip Hollobone, politician
• Eglantyne Jebb, founder of Save the Children
• Matthew Jones, actor and musical comedian
• Bridget Kendall, BBC diplomatic correspondent
• Nigella Lawson, journalist and celebrity television cooking show presenter
• Ann Leslie, journalist
• Josie Long, comedian
• Elizabeth Longford, writer
• Elinor Lyon, children's writer
• Eliza Manningham-Buller, former director general of MI5
• Sujata Manohar, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India
• Lucasta Miller, writer and critic
• Barbara Mills, former Director of Public Prosecutions
• Ben Moreau, athlete
• Priscilla Napier, author
• Cathy Newman, Channel 4 News presenter and journalist
• H. F. M. Prescott, historian
• Diana Quick, actress
• Johnny Rogan, author and broadcaster
• Marie Slocombe, founder of the BBC Sound Archive
• Matthew Taylor, politician
• Ann Trindade, historian
• Anna Walker, British civil servant
• Baroness Warnock, philosopher
• C. V. Wedgwood, historian
• Samuel West, actor
• Ann Widdecombe, politician

Gallery [edit]

• 

  Sunken gardens outside Talbot Hall

• 

  Giles Gilbert Scott's Deneke Building

• 

  Fellows' Garden

• 

  Gardens outside Wordsworth Building

• 

  Sir Reginald Blomfield's Talbot Hall

See also [edit]

• Former students of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

References [edit]

1. ^ "Undergraduate numbers by college 2011-12". University of Oxford. 
2. ^ Oxford College Endowment Incomes, 1973-2006 (updated July 2007)^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "College Undergraduate Degree Classifications 2007/08". 
4. ^ Alden's Oxford Guide. Oxford: Alden & Co., 1958; pp. 120-21
5. ^ Alden (1958)
6. ^ "LMH Library". Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
7. ^ "opening of the Pipe Partridge Building". Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010. 

External links [edit]

• LMH Home Page – Official Site
• Lady Margaret Hall MCR Website
• Image Galleries of Lady Margaret Hall
• Virtual Tour of Lady Margaret Hall
• Archive Photos of Lady Margaret Hall

v t e University of Oxford Leadership Chancellor The Lord Patten of Barnes Vice-Chancellor Dr Andrew Hamilton Registrar Ewan McKendrick Colleges All Souls Balliol Brasenose Christ Church Corpus Christi Exeter Green Templeton Harris Manchester Hertford Jesus Keble Kellogg Lady Margaret Hall Linacre Lincoln Magdalen Mansfield Merton New Nuffield Oriel Pembroke Queen's St Anne's St Antony's St Catherine's St Cross St Edmund Hall St Hilda's St Hugh's St John's St Peter's Somerville Trinity University Wadham Wolfson Worcester Permanent Private Halls Blackfriars Hall Campion Hall Regent's Park College St Benet's Hall St Stephen's House Wycliffe Hall Departments Humanities Division American Institute Classics Drawing and Fine Art History Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics Medieval and Modern Languages Oriental Studies Philosophy Theology Voltaire Foundation Medical Sciences Biochemistry Human Genetics Pathology Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences Begbroke Science Park Computer Science Engineering Science Materials Mathematical Institute Plant Sciences Social Sciences Business School Continuing Education Enterprise and the Environment Government International Development Internet Institute Martin School Oxford-Man Institute Recognised Independent Centres Buddhist Studies Hebrew and Jewish Studies Hindu Studies Islamic Studies Sport Australian Rules Football Boxing Cricket Cycling Dancesport Darts Football Gliding Handball Ice Hockey Mountaineering Rowing Rugby University of Oxford portal