A large percentage of the young women who came to St Hugh's in the early years were the daughters of clergymen; most of the other fathers were professional, middle-class men.

[7] Its purpose was "to make it possible for women of modest means to live and study in Oxford...with religious teachings (Church of England) on the same lines as Lady Margaret Hall" of which Elizabeth Wordsworth had been founding principal.

[15] The college began to move to its present site in 1913, when it purchased the lease of a house called "The Mount" from the Rev Robert Hartley for £2,500.

[12] The college obtained the freehold to the main site in 1927, and a year later the first stage of the Mary Gray Allen building was constructed on what had been the tennis courts.

[citation needed] At the outbreak of the Second World War the college site was requisitioned by the military for use as the Hospital for Head Injuries under the directorship of Hugh Cairns, the first Nuffield Professor of Surgery.

[20] Staff and students were relocated to Holywell Manor, Savile House and St Hilda's College for the duration of the war.

[24] This was followed shortly after by the Wolfson Building, which was constructed between 1966 and 1967 and opened by Princess Alexandra and Harold Macmillan in his role as chancellor of the university.

The college principal, Rachel Trickett, fought off full co-education at St Hugh's for some years, even taking her case to the national newspapers, and it was not finally agreed until 1986.

[16] The building missed its planned opening date of summer 2000, meaning students had to be accommodated in B&Bs throughout Michaelmas term.

[16] It was reopened by Betty Boothroyd and was renamed after Howard Piper, a Maths student of the college who, shortly after graduating, died in a rafting accident.

[citation needed] St Hugh's College celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2011; a summer garden party was attended by over 1,200 guests.

[29] Aung San Suu Kyi sent a message to the college, saying "Happy moments are one of the pillars that keep the spirit uplifted during hard times.

The centre houses the university's China Studies department, as well as providing accommodation for St Hugh's postgraduate students and The Wordsworth Tea Room.

[44] Students wait for Senior Members to come into High Table and Grace is said in Latin by the presiding fellow, usually the Principal, immediately prior to the meal: Benedic nobis, Domine Deus, et his donis, quae ex liberalitate Tua sumpturi sumus, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum.

The college offers organ scholarships along with four choral exhibitions each year, and employs a professional organist to oversee the chapel music.

[52] St Hugh's College Boat Club has a long and rich history, with notable contributions towards the development and establishment of women's rowing at Oxford.

[53] After three to four decades of building and gathering much needed infrastructure, the quality of training provided by the club improved significantly.

It resulted in a temporary lapse in outings as Boat Club members deliberated with the JCR and College on how best to rectify the situation.

A solution was reached in 1953, where it was agreed that as long as "half a dozen" of members are active and pay a termly subscription of 15s (75p), then the Boat Club would receive full support from the college.

It is only after one and a half decades later that the Boat club is mentioned again, with its refounding occurring in 1973,[58] thanks to the enthusiasm of Julia Winterbottom, Jennifer Greenwood and Judy Bartley.

After two years of slipping down the order, the Boat Club was able to pick itself back up again by putting together a highly-talented and trained squad made up of many Blues rowers.

This women's crew was able to rapidly climb up the ranks, and finally restored the Boat Club to its former glory by winning Headship back again in 1982.

Emily Davison, the suffragette who famously died after being hit by the king's horse when she walked onto the track during the 1913 Epsom Derby race, enrolled at St Hugh's for one term to sit her finals.

Polar expedition leader Alex Hibbert read biological sciences at St Hugh's, graduating in 2007. Notable alumni in business include Louise Patten,[87] Philip J. K. James and Nate Morris.

Conductors Jane Glover and Alice Farnham read music at St Hugh's, as did BBC arts broadcaster and writer Suzy Klein.

BAFTA Award-winning actress and comedian Rebecca Front began her career at the college, touring with the Oxford Revue in 1984.

Writers Mary Renault, Lady Selina Hastings, Jane Ridley and Juliet Nicolson studied at St Hugh's, too.

Other academics include sociologist and intelligence researcher Noah Carl; philosopher Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe; linguist and revivalist Ghil'ad Zuckermann; and mathematician Mary Cartwright.

Another mathematician, Jillian Beardwood, known for her solution to the travelling salesman problem, graduated from St Hugh's with first-class honours in 1956.

[89][90] Human rights barrister Amal Clooney graduated with a BA degree in jurisprudence (Oxford's equivalent to the LLB) from St Hugh's.