St Mary's College, Durham

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.

History

St. Mary's original location was at 33 Claypath with six students before moving into Abbey House and then on to Palace Green next to Durham Cathedral. This is now occupied by the Choristers School. It is one of the Hill colleges on Elvet Hill and its founding stone was laid in 1947 by Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth site opened in 1952. Of all the Hill colleges, 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 being a female-only college. 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. An online poll of students carried out in 2003, however, showed a split of 60% in favour and only 40% against the change. The transition to a mixed college which took place in 2005 was very successful. Despite how recently this took place, the student body is no longer considered to be 'in transition' and there has been a significant shift in mindset of both Mary's students and the rest of the University. The college still provides single-sex accommodation for both sexes as and when required. The recently refurbished Shepherd wing (previously the Mews) of the Ferguson 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 is currently planned to take place from July to December 2007. This will include replacement of the central heating system, a new roof and full refurbishment of all study bedrooms. Due to the scale of this project, the building will not be able to house any students for Michaelmas Term 2007 and as a result 112 Mary's students will therefore be housed in a neighbouring colleges from October to December. These students will then move back to St Mary's in January 2008 when the work is finished.

Facilities & Traditions

The College is centred around two main buildings: the Fergusson and Williamson Buildings. The Fregusson building was built in the early 1950s and houses most of the College facilities, including the college's dining hall, three computer rooms, the College library, the Chapel, a laundry, three 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 a beautiful interior 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 Professional Bar Steward and student Bar Chair in conjunction. The Bars Chair is also in charge of running the Toastie Bar situated opposite the Bar entrance. 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, however, 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. A refurbishment of the Williamson building is currently planned to take place from July to December 2007. This will include replacement of the central heating system, a new roof and full refurbishment of all study bedrooms. Due to the scale of this project, the building will not be able to house any students for Michaelmas Term 2007. Approximately 110 Mary's students will therefore be housed in a neighbouring college from October to December. These students will then move back to St Mary's in January 2008 when the work is finished. 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

College shield and arms

The college arms are blazoned as "Argent 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 "the handmaid of the Lord."

Alumni

Main entrance to the Ferguson Building

• Olive Sinclair - politician
• Christiana Odulana - educationist
• Biddy Baxter - Children's TV presenter/radio host
• Ann Burdus - Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year Award winner
• Jane Griffiths - politician
• Jenny Willott - politician
• Tracy Langlands - world champion bronze medallist rower

External links

• St Mary's College official website
• St Mary's College JCR student organisation

•  • e Durham University

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