St. Hugh’s College, aka “The Nutcracker Suite”

Who was St. Hugh? I had to look him up.

Turns out he’s was a 13th century Bishop, originally Hugh of Avalon, who, at the time of the reformation, was the second best known English saint after Thomas Becket.

Hugh stood up to King Henry II and declared his independence from him, even though it was the King who had established him in his Carthusian Charterhouse as prior. Henry apparently had done this as partial penance for the murder of Becket. Hugh, clearly good with those emotional types, managed to stay alive and do good work for the rest of his life, for which he was ultimately canonized.

St. Hugh is the patron saint of sick children, sick people, shoemakers (why not?) and swans.

He is also a direct ancestor of good old Elizabeth Wordsworth, niece of poet William Wordsworth, and the founder of the college. Elizabeth, who had herself been educated at home since Oxford was not a terribly accessible place for women in those days, wished to create an institution of learning for women “who find the charges of the present Halls at Oxford and Cambridge (even the most moderate) beyond their means”.

In 1866, after inheriting money from her father, Bishop of London, she set up the school.

The wonderful woman in her prime.

St. Hugh’s College is now considered one of the more beautiful among the Oxford constituent colleges, having fourteen and one half acres of beautiful garden and landscape.

All of which I am looking forward to seeing.

Interestingly, at the outbreak of World War II, St. Hugh’s College was requisitioned by the military for use as a hospital for head injuries. It was known by locals and doctor’s on site as “the Nutcracker Suite”. Nice.

The Nutcracker Suite going about cracking those nuts

(Being a survivor of a traumatic head injury, I find the coincidence of heading there myself rather intriguing).

And now, from their own marketing materials: “St Hugh’s is unusual amongst Oxford colleges in guaranteeing undergraduates accommodation on site for all years of their course”.

I am finding that to be true since more than half of my courses will be held there. As a result, I also will be “accommodated” there, sleeping in a 150 year old private dorm room, sharing a shower and bathrooms with my peers and hoping to soak up some of the same kind of inspirations that fueled the dreams of

Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize Winner and alumnus extraordinaire, who was accommodated there before me.

St. Hugh’s, I’m happy to meet you.