Hughes Hall

Hughes Hall
founding	1885
Sponsorship	University of Cambridge
place	Cambridge
president	Anthony Freeling
Students	60 postgraduates : 325
Website	www.hughes.cam.ac.uk

Hughes Hall is one of the colleges at Cambridge University . It is the oldest of the four colleges in Cambridge that only accept older students over the age of 21 ( mature students ). The majority of the students at Hughes Hall are postgraduates, with around a fifth studying for a first degree.

The college was founded in 1885 as the Cambridge Training College (CTC) for women, and its first director was Elizabeth Phillips Hughes. She started college with just 14 students in Croft Cottage, a small house in the Newnham district. One of these early students was Molly Thomas, who recorded her experiences of this college life in a book called A London Girl of the 1880s (published under her name after marriage: MV Hughes).

In 1895, the college then moved to the current site, which was designed by architect William Fawcett. The college grew slowly over the next 40 years, and in 1949 the college was recognized as part of the university: it was now named Hughes Hall in memory of the first female director. In 2006, Hughes Hall achieved full college status. The college has since been undergoing reform and expansion. Significant renovations took place in 2005 and 2009 when the Fenners Building (2005), which served as accommodation and cafeteria, and the Learning Resources Center (2009) were completed. The latter serves as a library and work area for the students. In 2015 the grounds of the University Gym were bought and the renovation started. A further 85 students are to be accommodated in the new building.

The first male student was admitted in 1973. Today the college has about 400 students. Hughes Hall is one of the most international colleges in Cambridge: students come from over 60 countries. Hughes Hall regularly provides a disproportionately large number of Cambridge Blues athletes. The Hughes Hall rowers, in particular, often take top or even first places in the Hughes Hall college competition. The college has an avowedly non-elitist, international and egalitarian orientation, which is also reflected in the rejection of the usual obligation in traditional colleges to wear a gown at formal halls. Fellows also dine with the students at formal dinners (formal halls) as well as everyday lunches and dinners and do not have their own high table.

Coordinates: 52 ° 12 ′ 3 ″  N , 0 ° 8 ′ 0 ″  E