Before St Aidan’s
In 1895 until the Second World War, it was deemed unsuitable for female students to live in lodgings. Instead, they had to either be a member of a college or live at home. Though the number of students were quite small, with 1936 only recording five students, there was a substantial increase in the number of female students after 1945. This meant that the former group of home students were reorganised, which marks the beginnings of St Aidan’s College (then known as the St Aidan’s Society).
The Founding of St Aidan’s
Following the emergence of the St Aidan’s Society, the offices could be found at 24 North Bailey with some students living in Shincliffe Hall and other lodgings. 50 North Bailey soon housed the society’s common room, and chapel services would be held at the church of St Mary-le-Bow. It was around this time that Ethleen Scott became the first principal, having been the “Censor” of the female home students since 1937.
St Aidan’s was reestablished as a full “council college” in 1961. This meant that the governing body was a sub-committee of the university council, which was the university’s governing body. Relocating from the Bailey to Elvet Hill in September 1964, St Aidan’s became one of the very first “Hill Colleges” of Durham University.
Architecture
The architecture of St Aidan’s College is wholly intentional, being designed by Sir Basil Spence. The arrangement of the semi-circular buildings surrounding a central lawn was intended to represent the hand of God holding a jewel. The curved corridors are the fingers; the straight corridors are the thumb – and there was intended to be a chapel in the very centre, which would represent the jewel.
However, due to financial constraints, the chapel was never built. Later extensions to the straights diverted away from the original idea. In 2008, renovations and extensions began to build further accommodation for finalists and postgraduate students. In 2009, Elizabeth Pease House opened to students for the first time.
Principal History
Following on from Ethleen Scott, in 1963 Dame Enid Russell-Smith became the next principal before being succeeded by Irene Hindmarsh in 1970. During Hindmarsh’s tenure, it was decided that St Aidan’s College would become a mixed college with the first male students being admitted in 1981. From 1991 to 1997, Robert Williams was principal of St Aidan’s College.
John Ashworth took over as principal in 1998, before becoming the Dean of Colleges in 2007. It was at this point that our very own Dr Susan Frenk became principal and holds this position to this day.
Notable Alumni
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