First students enter St Hilda's College, Oxford

Background. St Hilda's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, named after the Anglo-Saxon saint Hilda of Whitby. It was founded in 1893 as a hall for women and remained a women's college until 2008. The college was established by Dorothea Beale, who was also a headmistress at Cheltenham Ladies' College.

Founding. Dorothea Beale purchased Cowley House in Oxford in 1892 for £5,000 to provide teachers in training with the benefit of a year at Oxford. This house was opened as St Hilda's Hall of Residence for Women in 1893. In 1901, it was joined with the Cheltenham training college as St Hilda's Incorporated College.

Student Demographics. The students at St Hilda's Hall, Oxford, were mainly, but not exclusively, old Cheltonians. The college was recognized by the Association for the Education of Women as a women's hall in 1896. It remained a women's college until 2008, when male students were admitted for the first time.