Hertford College, Oxford
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| Hertford College
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| Established | 1282
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| Sister College | None
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| Principal | Sir Walter Bodmer
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| Graduates | 150
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| Undergraduates | 360
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Hertford College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in Catte Street, directly opposite the main entrance of the original Bodleian Library.
History
The college was originally founded - as Hart Hall - in 1282 by Elias de Hertford. In medieval Oxford, halls were simply lodging houses for students, and thus did not have the same status as fully-fledged colleges. The first attempt to establish Hart Hall as a full college came in the late 18th century, but ran into funding problems. The buildings were subsequently taken over by Magdalen Hall. In 1874, the combined Hart Hall / Magdalen Hall was finally re-established as a full college, largely due to the sponsorship of Sir Thomas Baring.
Hertford was one of the first five co-educational colleges in the university. It has a higher ratio of women to men than is usual at Oxford University. In the 1960s it was also one of the first colleges to encourage applicants from state schools, and has a significantly higher proportion of students from state schools relative to private schools.
The College Site
The main college consists of three quadrangles: Old Quadrangle, New Quadrangle and Holywell Quadrangle. The famous Hertford Bridge (Bridge of Sighs) was designed by Thomas Jackson to link the Old Quadrangle with the New Quadrangle.
Famous Former Students
