CHRONOLOGY OF WESTFIELD COLLEGE

Rev. James B Fleming was elected as the first Chairman of Council.

The first teaching staff were appointed comprising: Miss Katherine Tristrum (1882-1888) who left in 1888 to take up an appointment as the Head of the Bishop Poole Memorial School in Osaka, Japan. Miss Frances Gray (1883-1894), Resident Lecturer. Miss Mary Petrie, Visiting Lecturer, Miss Anne W Richardson, Resident Lecturer and Miss Josephine Willoughby (later Mrs Adams Clark), Resident Lecturer (appointed Jan-April 1887). Miss Beloe, Resident Lecturer (1889).

The first graduands of Westfield were presented for London degrees: Anne Richardson, Marie Pechinet and Emily Thompson.

The College purchased Kidderpore Hall (later known as Old House) on Kidderpore Avenue, West Hampstead.

Lady Day 1891, the College relocated to permanent purpose built buildings in Kidderpore Avenue. The name of Westfield College was formally adopted.

Rev. William Hagger Barlow was elected to Chairman of Council.

The University of London became a teaching body as well as an examining body.

Westfield College Association was founded.

The new building (later known as the Skeel Building) was completed. It housed a purpose built Library and lecture rooms.

Miss Ellen Marion Delf was appointed to teach Botany. This led to the founding of the Botany Department at Westfield.

Lord Alverstone, Lord Chief Justice of England, was elected to Chairman of Council.

Caroline Skeel returned to her former post.

Sept 1913, Miss Maynard resigned as Mistress of Westfield College. Miss Agnes de Selincourt was appointed to Principal of Westfield College.

The first Divinity Lecture given by William Temple took place. Miss McDougall left to become the first mistress of the Women's Christian College in Madras, India.

Rev. William Temple was elected Chairman of Council.

The I Fang Girls Collegiate School was opened in China by former Westfield College student Pao Swen Tseng. Miss Tseng was the first Chinese woman to obtain a London Honours Degree in Botany.

Miss Bertha Surtees Phillpotts became Principal of Westfield College.

Miss Evelyn Gedge was appointed Secretary to Council. The Westfield College Union Society was established, with the Principal as Honorary President.

Miss Eleanor Lodge was appointed to Principal of Westfield College. Miss Lodge began a College Log Book, recording key events. A wooden building which became known as 'The Hut' was erected to serve as a Botanical Laboratory. The University of London Union was launched.

Miss Anne Richardson retired. Miss Skeel advanced to Chair and became Westfield's first Professor.

H.M The Queen [Queen Mary] visited the College.

Miss Skeel resigned on grounds of ill health. She was the founder of Westfield's School of History.

May 1929, Miss Lodge became the first principal to take her place on the Senate of the University of London.

Dorothy Chapman was appointed Principal of Westfield College.

Grant of the Royal Charter, Incorporating the College.

Completion of the Orchard Wing.

Mrs Mary Stocks was appointed as Principal of Westfield College in 1939. Westfield College was relocated to St Peter's Hall in Oxford once war broke out. The Orchard building was let to the Tavistock Clinic from 1939, and the Young Women's Christian Association let the College buildings from 1940. In 1940 Selincourt Hall suffered bomb damage.

Westfield College returned to London.

In 1948 Ellen Delf Smith retired. In accordance with a decision by the University of London, Westfield College ceased to admit students for a natural science degree. As a result between 1948 and 1950 Westfield gradually relinquished teaching Botany.

Rev Ellison was elected Chairman of Council.

Westfield College was formally acknowledged by the University of London as a School in the Faculty of Science.

Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the Science Building.

Dr Bryan Thwaites was appointed as Principal of Westfield College. No.3 Kidderpore Avenue was purchased by the College.

The new Caroline Skeel Library was completed.

A new purpose built Halls of Residence in Kidderpore Hall was completed. The University of London's Murray Report was published. It expressed concerns about the smaller Colleges, and placed the future of Westfield College as an independent institution in question.

Westfield College began to co-operate with Bedford College in teaching Classics. The Westfield College Development Trust was founded.

Prof. John Varey was appointed as Principal of Westfield College. Most of the Science Faculty including Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Biochemistry and Zoology, and 68 members of staff were transferred to Queen Mary College in Mile End. Computer Science teaching was transferred to Kings College. Negotiations for collaboration with the Central School of Speech and Drama were rejected by the University.

Negotiations took place for possible mergers with the Royal Veterinary College, Imperial College, Kings College, University College and Queen Mary College.

The University Grants Committee and the University Court approved plans to sell the Hampstead Campus as part of the Queen Mary and Westfield College merger and use the funds for new constructions and modifications to the Mile End Campus.

The first meeting of Westfield Trust took place.

Queen Mary and Westfield College was inaugurated. All departments were transferred with the exception of the Department of History of Art which transferred to University College London.