In tune with the belles of St Mary's

THE idea of an all women's college conjures up images of spinster dons, riding bicycles and wearing sensible lace-up shoes. Students are serious, hard working and live in nun-like seclusion, with men absolutely forbidden to cross the college threshold.

There once might have been some truth in all this but not any more, as anyone who has been watching the Channel 4 documentary about St Hilda's College in Oxford will realise. St Mary's College, Durham, is just as vibrant and is certainly no nunnery. There are male post-graduate students, male tutors and more than the occasional male guest, but all of the undergraduates are women.

"Some people find it strange. They can't understand why, in this day and age, there is still an all women's college. They assume it doesn't have as rigorous academic standards or that it can't attract enough students but they're wrong," says former student Gwyneth Cole, who began her long association with the college in 1947.

"St Mary's is thriving and rather than having declining standards, it's improving all the time. It's a wonderful place to live and study."

St Mary's can trace its origins back to 1899 when it opened as a hostel for six women students in Claypath. Its first principal, Laura Maria Roberts, was a pioneer of women's education, not only in Durham but also in Oxford, where she had been one of the first ten students at St Hilda's Hall.

St Mary's officially become a college of the University of Durham in 1920, by which time it occupied a site at The College which is now home to the Choristers' School. But by the 1930s, it had grown so much, new accommodation was needed.

In 1935, architect Vincent Harris was invited to prepare plans for a new college but financial restrictions, followed by the outbreak of the Second World War, meant the proposals had to be shelved. Building work didn't begin until 1947, when Princess Elizabeth laid the foundation stone at the new site on Elvet Hill Road, overlooking the cathedral. The college welcomed its first students in 1952 and this year is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Among the first students at Elvet Hill was current Senior Common Room President, Gwyneth Cole. She started reading history at St Mary's in 1947, but was forced to take a break after just two terms due to a fracture of the spine.

When she returned to college in 1952, she joined 52 other freshers in the imposing new building - one of the last to be built on such a grand scale.

"I had witnessed the laying of the foundation stone in 1947 and been presented to Princess Elizabeth before the ceremony. I jokingly declared that they had built the college in time for my return," she laughs.

After graduating, Gwyneth began a career in teaching but always remained in close contact with the college. She edited the St Mary's Society newsletter, served as first college archivist and is now SCR President.

Gwyneth is one of the former students attending the first of the golden jubilee celebrations - a weekend reunion bringing together women of all ages, some who haven't set foot in college since the 1950s. As she shows me round, down long corridors and through expansive gardens, her eyes light up as she remembers her student days.

'I had a wonderful time at St Mary's. Things have changed over the years but not drastically. The main difference is the new buildings that have gone up as the college has expanded.

"One thing that hasn't changed is the atmosphere. St Mary's has always been a very caring college. When I was away with a fracture of the spine, they never lost touch with me. There was no NHS at the time so the two guineas they gave towards the special jacket I had to wear was a real help. There is still a very strong tradition of pastoral care."

In Gwyneth's day, all-female colleges were the norm but she believes St Mary's has been right not to admit men.

"In the 1960s, other colleges started going mixed. Mary's resisted and we're still resisting because we believe in what the college stands for. It's quite a battle. There are some people who just don't understand what it's like. They assume it's like a nunnery, which, of course it isn't. There are men around college all the time but they're the men we choose to invite in."

While Gwyneth's association with the college spans more than 50 years, Eleanor Woodcock's is just beginning. She's just starting her second year, reading natural sciences.

She didn't apply to St Mary's directly. "I didn't really know how the college system worked," she confesses. "But now I'm here, I'm really enjoying it. It doesn't feel strange or any different from any other college. It's just St Mary's."

St Mary's has several thriving societies, including drama and rowing, but Eleanor believes the fact it is single sex encourages students to mix with members of other colleges.

"Some colleges are like cliques but most Mary's girls have friends in at least one other college and I don't mean just boyfriends. I think that's nice because it makes you feel more part of the university.

"I think there are some other advantages as well. For one thing, it's nice and quiet, particularly at exam time. I think girls are generally more considerate and you don't feel intimidated by having all these 'super genius' boys around."

That is something Principal Jenny Hobbs agrees with. Following a stint as director of Durham University's International Office, she was appointed to the position three years ago.

"To live in an environment where college is run by women provides students with important opportunities of leadership and responsibility. In mixed environments, women tend not to push themselves forward as much as men and they lose out on opportunities that will help them later in life and don't always fulfil their social and academic potential. I think it is important to provide choice for those who prefer to be with other women," she explains.

Jenny arrived at St Mary's just in time for its centenary celebrations and has a strong sense of college history, although she is keen that it should continue to develop and evolve. She does not, however, envisage that evolution including the admission of men.

"There is some pressure from certain parts of the university to go mixed. In the late 1990s, our admissions weren't as healthy as they should have been and, perhaps understandably, the university was concerned about that. I think in many ways that has been redressed. For the last four years, including this one, we have exceeded our quota of new students, and I think that shows St Mary's is still relevant to 21st Century students."