Homerton College, Cambridge

Notes on the history of Homerton College Hills Road Cambridge

Homerton College circa 1915

1916 CDN 21.2.1916

Homerton College Lights. The Principal of Homerton College, Miss Mary Allan, was summoned for having failed to screen the window of a certain lecture room on the ground floor of the college on 14th February about 7pm. She pleaded not guilty. … She was fined 10s.

Homerton College Cambridge circa 1925?

This aerial view of the college was taken in 1924.

Information about the history of Homerton College can be found here:

http://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/abouthomerton/history

General overviews of Homerton College can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homerton_College,_Cambridge

http://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/

Architectural features include the original gym, now used as the Combination Room:

http://www.homertonconference.com/combination-room/

The Great Hall is a designated Building of Local Interest

Alumni of the college, Homertonians, both before and after it became part of the Cambridge University include:

Samuel Dyer 1804-1843 translator of Bible into Chinese

William Ellis 1794-1872 English missionary and geographer

Robert Cotton Mather 1808-1877 missionary and translator

Edward Stallybrass 1794-1884 translator of Bible into Mongolian

William John Fox 1796-1864 religious and political orator

Charles Wellbeloved 1769-1858 Unitarian and archaeologist

Cherie Lunghi b.1952 actress

Tamzin Merchant b.1987 actress

Olivia Coleman b.1974 actress

Correspondence

This is a letter from J Horobin, principal of Homerton College (1894-1902) to their neighbours, Rattee and Kett,  the builders, who had a yard to the north west of the college on Purbeck Road. It is interesting to see on their letter head they they described themselves as Homerton New College (Cavendish College) even in 1896.

Rattee and Kett were responsible for the extension to the main building at Homerton College pictured above.

1940s

Homerton College Cambridge 1940s

1941

Jack Overhill records in his diary 9 May 1941:

A warning last night from 12.10 am till about 5 o’clock. A lot going over the town; scores of planes, incendiaries dropped on Hills Road setting fire to Homerton College and doing considerable damage to it. Many houses in that direction also set alight.

Michael Bowyer in Air Raid! pub 1886 says that a number of incendiary bombs in the high roof of the main hall quickly set fire to many timbers.