Hughes Hall, Cambridge traces the history of the oldest graduate college in Cambridge back to its modest foundation in 1885 as the Cambridge Training College for Women Teachers. The brainchild of the formidable pioneer headmistress, Miss Frances Buss, “CTC” began with fourteen young women and their brilliant young Principal, Elizabeth Phillips Hughes, crammed into two small houses on the edge of town. Ged Martin’s account recreates the chaotic first year, and traces the energetic improvisation that made an impressive reality out of the novel idea that teachers should be trained before entering the classroom.
In 1895, CTC built its permanent home in Wollaston Road, but it was not until 1949 that Cambridge University extended official recognition, and the name was changed to Hughes Hall. The book offers lively portraits of the talented women who kept the tiny institution afloat and offers irreverent glimpses of the male dons who were its friends and foes. As the traditional colleges began to admit women in the 1970s, Hughes Hall opened its doors to men and broadened its educational mandate, welcoming research students and providing second-chance opportunities for older candidates who sought Cambridge undergraduate degrees.
Hughes Hall achieved full membership of the University in 2006, in time to celebrate its 125th anniversary. For the hundreds of students who join the College every year for its very special version of the Cambridge experience, Hughes Hall offers the opportunity of new beginnings. Lavishly illustrated, this lively text offers an affectionate narrative of Hughes Hall’s remarkable story of achievement.
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NOW PUBLISHED.
