Brasenose Women's Firsts / Milestone Achievements

BNC Women’s ‘Firsts’: milestone achievements by women at BNC

This list of ‘the first women who…’ is intended as a collaborative, we hope, fun ‘community history' project for 2024-25. We’ve focussed on what women have done while AT BNC, not later, so everyone can join in. We’d love suggestions for edits from alums who know of other or earlier achievements or can add information: we intend a ‘wiki-women’s-firsts’!  

Most facts are from The Brazen Nose.[1] However, it doesn’t contain everything!

Also, the undergraduate body’s memory is generational: ‘firsts’ are sometimes achieved, then claimed again in subsequent years as earlier students are forgotten.

Finally, it hasn’t proved possible for the DO to contact a few alumnae whose achievements are in the College record. If you are one, College needs your permission to include your name so, please, get in touch!

Drusilla Gabbott (1982) and Sarah Jackson (1977), 4^th June 2025

Background: Before 1974

There were many women teaching, studying and graduating in Oxford before 1974 – but at the women’s colleges[2].

. At men’s colleges like BNC, Principals’ and Fellows’ wives played a strong role in college life, domestic decisions and sometimes undergraduate welfare and entertaining. College ‘servants’ were both male and female, the BNC female staff were numerous, working as College secretaries, librarians, Domestic Bursars, Scouts, or in the Buttery. They could become close to Fellows and their families. The longstanding College Nurse was a woman, and there were occasional women lecturers like Mary Archer, who Graham Richards brought in to cover his sabbatical in the early 1970s. Male undergraduates were sometimes sent out to be taught by dons from the female colleges. During WW2 female soldiers were stationed in College: one was famed for hanging out her underwear to dry from the windows in Old Quad. Women guests regularly came in for tea with undergrads or Fellows at BNC, their ingress and departure, (required by 6pm), monitored by the Lodge. And women occasionally climbed in, and sometimes even out, for the evening after the gates were locked.

However, until 1974 and 75 there were no women JCR or HCR students. Brasenose was one of the first five male colleges to become mixed, with the first women undergraduates arriving in Michaelmas 1974.

Overall observations from Sarah and Drusilla

Women’s progress was quick for undergraduates, but slower for academic staff. Women students integrated fast into running clubs and societies and succeeded academically. Most undergraduate ‘Women’s Firsts’ occur early on.

After most Oxford colleges went mixed, in the late 80s-90s, Brasenose’s female undergraduate admissions slowed slightly, although this was countered by enthusiastic outreach by the JCR and the College. Female students today outnumber male students.

Female academic appointments on the governing body were slower to rise. After the initial appointment and departure of Mary Stokes in the 1980s, it was some years before the arrival of other women governing body fellows. Female lecturers, supernumerary Fellows and Junior Research Fellows are listed, but firm steps to grow the base of permanent women governing body Fellows were to take 20 years. The appointment of women gathered strong momentum under Roger Cashmore’s Principalship and, of course, subsequently.

An unconsciously male historic culture is clear in the tone and subject matter of early Brazen Noses, which were still dominated by tributes to Principals, Fellows and male obituaries for a few years after ’74. Even in 2003, Laura Hannay, an outgoing JCR President, writes that though she found BNC ‘totally non-sexist’ and ‘comfortable’, and was not so surprised to be taught ‘90%’ by male dons, her interactions with Brasenose ‘faculty’ and the Brasenose Alumni Society were overwhelmingly with older males: ‘the gender divide continues to haunt College life’. She finishes gamely: ‘I think this has been good practice for my life after Oxford’ BN 2003 p.35.

The age and gender balance had much improved by 2024: 14 of 42 Fellows on the governing body were women and alumnae comprised at least half of attendees at Alumni Society events.

[1] Hereafter BN or The Nose

[2] St Anne's, Somerville, LMH, St Hilda's, St Hugh's

Fun facts

• First woman monarch to visit ‘The King’s Hall’.

Two Queen Elizabeths - I and II - both visited Brasenose twice – Queen Elizabeth I in 1562 and 1592, Queen Elizabeth II first in 1948 as Princess Elizabeth, and then for the Quincentenary on Weds 2^nd Dec 2009.

• The installation of new toilets, bathrooms and mirrors is a constant motif of the early years of female admission. In 2000, Leighton Reynolds, Acting Principal (and a great champion of women’s admission) joked that finally ‘We have been plumbed to the depths.’ Modernisation was driven not just by BNC women’s needs, but by Oxford’s new global conference business in the 1980s: it was, back then, known for visiting ladies to book out of College and into a hotel once they had seen BNC’s bathing facilities!
• First non-human ‘Woman’ competitor in Cuppers and female College pet, Addington the College Tortoise: Addington is mentioned from 1988 as taking part in ‘Tortoise Cuppers’ and remaining undefeated, indeed, ‘virtually unbeatable’ in several years’ inter-college tournaments. A Cuppers Supper for Addington was regularly suggested by the JCR, who argued: ‘her needs are modest.’
• Only College to have a US High Court Judge act in their JCR Christmas Pantomime – Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Justice Day O’ Connor spoke in ‘Lessons in Government Seminars’ organised by Brasenose for the University and the Sheldonian on 1^st Dec 2009, then stayed in the College for a few days, giving a special talk to Brasenose law students. Invited by the JCR, she played Prince Charming’s mother – apparently very well – in a cameo in the Brasenose Pantomime. BN, 2010, p.61.
• Early Grants for ‘Women’s welfare’, their use: ‘The Goldman Sachs Money for women’s welfare has finally been spent on many videos repulsive to male tastes which are being shown every Sunday night on the big screen in the JCR.’ JCR Report, BN 2003 p.70
• The Dons play the JCR Women’s soccer team for RAG week, and win 7-1, raising £200: ‘It is fair to say that not since the heyday of the Coliseum has there been a more thrilling spectacle than that of eleven grown men delighted to triumph over a women’s team. Although one must congratulate the SCR on their shock win, the highlight of the match was Julia Sun’s fantastic Beckham-Esque free kick, which looped past Professor Cooper into the top left corner, sending the stands wild.’ Photos, p.80, BN 2004.

List of BNC Women’s Firsts

1. First arrivals at BNC

• First entrance awards for women undergraduates. Of the 7 entrance scholarships awarded in 1973 (for 1974 entry), two were awarded to women. Of the 17 entrance exhibitions, one was awarded to a woman. BN 1973.
• First welcomes in the Brazen Nose: The 1973 edition carries the first recorded ‘welcomes’ to women from BNC staff and graduates:
  • Jack Markham – head of the Brasenose servants – was inspired by the College’s momentous decision to admit women to list long-standing female College servants for seemingly the first time in his Brazen Nose staff report. The Brasenose (Alumni) Society Vice President, ARC Westlake (1913), who was unable to attend his gaudy, is recorded as having made a gift of £100: ‘ARC Westlake (1913) gave £100 to celebrate the election of Principal Hart, the College’s decision to admit women, and the sixtieth anniversary of his own admission.’ P.321.
  • In the Brasenose (Alumni) Society report, Sir Colin Thornley ‘referred to the advent of ladies to the College in October which is likely to mean that this would be the last dinner where we would not have their welcome presence.’
• First JCR women: 28 matriculated in Michaelmas 1974. Two left after a period, but the remaining 26 graduated from 1977 onwards.
• First HCR women – women joined the HCR a year after undergraduates in 1975. The 6 women were first recorded in the Nose in 1975-6.

[3] Black square flower planters were placed in Old Quad for Princess Elizabeth’s visit, which waggish ‘Nosemen’ painted as dice overnight. They were swiftly repainted before she arrived.

[4] Bernard Richards, Editor, Brazen Nose

2. JCR and HCR officials

• First woman JCR secretary – Jane Raymond (Matric 1974) elected Michaelmas 75 and serving Hilary 76-77.
• First woman JCR President – Lucinda Riches (Matric 1980), elected in Michaelmas 1981 and serving her term Hilary 1982-Hilary 83.
• First (and first female) JCR Bar Manager – Paula Carter (1978), 1980-81. The JCR president wrote: ‘we have a bar manager for the first time.’ Paula writes: ‘one of my finest Oxford achievements. I had to show I could heave a pin (small barrel of beer) onto a cradle and then bash in the tap that then dispensed the beer with a mallet. If you didn’t do this in one wallop, you got covered in beer. An essential life skill.’
• First female HCR Bar Steward – Cristina Sumners (1977), 1981-2. BN 1982 HCR report: ‘I would like to thank Miss Christina Sumners for her unfailing enthusiasm in the thankless task of Bar Steward.’
• First female HCR Committee member – according to the Nose, Kate Flint (1977). Kate Flint was an extremely active early HCR member.
• First female HCR President according to the Nose’s records – Christine Martin (1988), in 1989.

3. ‘Firsts’ in Clubs, Societies, and Sport

The female intake speedily took the lead in running and contributing to BNC clubs and societies

Cultural 

• A JCR Events Committee was set up by Sara Jones (1974) and another female undergraduate, staging lively cultural events, and, notably, ‘discos.’
• The BNC summer arts festival was founded around 1995 with the students and activities involved subsequently being too numerous and diverse to list. The King’s Hall Fund for the Arts was an immediate spin-off in 1996 set up to finance BNC drama, writing and arts activity. Many creative BNC women with the support of Sos Eltis have been involved in the BNC summer arts week over the years in singing, drama, open mic, workshops, and visual art, etc. The first detailed report is in 1998, where the festival under Rosie Kalman’s (1995) leadership put on 17 performances of two plays.
• The Ashmole history society was set up in 2010, under the guidance of longstanding Supernumerary Fellow Rowena Archer, as Brasenose’s history society. Its founding President was Elli Thomas (2009).

Drinking and dining societies

• First recorded all-women Dining Society - The Somerset – was established by 1977, the first recorded President being Geraldine Jones (1976). Susan Treggiari was the Senior Member and believes its first dinner was at the Cherwell Boathouse on Feb 10^th of that year. In 1982, a second female dining society The Redgrave was reported on, having been set up by Sarah Jackson (1977) and Pippa Leslie-Jones (1977) BN 1982. A third group known as the Seven Deadly Sins was inaugurated by Susanna Holman (1984) and Julie Deegan (1982) an earlier group called the Sirens is known, but no reports survive.
• The Brasenose Aqua Vitae Society records Julie Deegan (1982) as its first woman Chairman. BN 1984-5
• First woman president of the Wine Society – Nicola Levitt (1984), in 1986.

Sport

• First ever women’s team to get a Cuppers victory and supper – the Women’s Tennis team, 1978.
• First all-women’s rugby team and first BNC men vs women rugby match organised by Paula Carter (1978).
• First women’s rugby victory over the men’s First XV – 1985. The men’s team played in drag. ‘The final match of the Michaelmas term saw the BNC first XV convincingly defeated by a very strong Ladies Team which showed good aggression in the forwards and boasted a very sprightly set of backs. The gentlemen, arrayed in Ladies garments, seemed to be distracted in their performance while their opponents played with purpose and commitment. … Truly the game of rugby football is changing.’ Source: BN.
• First woman to play in a BNC men’s rugby match and attend a rugby club dinner at BNC – 1985 - Kay Dickson (1982). “One lady…went on to represent the College in a 2^nd XV rugby match and… merited, after much hounding of the secretary of the club, an invitation to the dinner. Truly, the game of rugby football is changing.” BN, 1985, p.59. Rugby Club Report. Kay was also JCR President in 83-84.
• First women’s Association Football team – 1992: ‘for the first time ever, BNC can boast women’s teams in both these sports [rugby and football]. Sadly, bad weather during MT 1992 prevented their demonstrating their quite exceptional skills on the playing field. with insufficient matches played for a winning trend yet to emerge, we hope that HT 1993 will herald lasting success for both teams.’ BN, p.81
• First women’s cricket team to win Cuppers – 2003, under Cricket (and Ice Hockey) Blue Georgia Gale-Grant (2003). ‘[We] may as well, entry’s only a tenner…the team proudly received medals and took snaps of this momentous moment in the um… long history of Brasenose ladies’ cricket … ‘Get Horizontal’!’ The team included Evonnie Chan, Rebecca Ede, Georgia Gale-Grant, Jen Garn, Jenny Griffiths, Tsin Zhen Koh, Moa Lernborg, Mouche Pearce, Lindsay Wiltshire.
• First BNC woman rowing blue. Sara Williams (H.S. Williams, 1975). Sara Williams was a member of the Oxford Women’s VIII who beat Cambridge for the first time: ‘On the river, Miss Sara Williams distinguished herself by being a member of the crew that defeated the Cambridge VIII in the thirteenth race. It was the first time the Oxford VIII had won.’ BN 1976, p.10
• First woman cox of the BNC Men’s First Eight (the ‘BNC Boat’) 1975, Jane Reid-Kay: “Also, we found a lady cox, Jane Reid-Kay, who was not only lighter than most men but also made a very good cox.” Jane’s ‘first’ was televised. The crew got six bumps, blades and a bump supper. BN 1976 p.68, Boat Club Report.
• First Ladies’ Captain of BNC Women’s Boat Club – Ali Brown (1977). Women are included in the Rowing report in 1976 as first successfully getting a crew on the river, although that crew didn’t qualify for Summer Eights. However, the women’s crew did not have captains until 1980-1.
• First BNC Women’s First VIII to win Blades – 1985. The crew included, among others, Claire Richens (1982, 2), Alison Bailes (1983, 4), Katharine Cross (1983, 5), Sarah Williamson (1984, 6), and Sarah Shekleton (1983, Cox).
• The first woman’s VIII to get blades. BNC women’s Second VIII also won blades for getting 4 bumps the year before (1984). 
• First woman to cox both University Blues Boats – Samantha Benham (1990). Samantha’s achievement got national publicity. ‘Early in 1993 Brasenose basked in a glare of publicity when one of our undergraduates, Samantha Benham, was selected to cox the University Eight in the Boat Race. She is the first woman to have coxed both the women’s and the men’s crews, and in consecutive years. I am sure this must [also] be the first time that a photograph of a member of the College has ever graced the cover of Country Life’ (25^th March).’ – David Stockton, BN. P.61. The men’s crew coxed included Matthew Pinsent.
• First Brasenose President of OUWBC – Andrea Hadfield (1985), 1989.
• First Brasenose Secretary of OUWBC – Claire Richens (1982), 1984. Later Claire Perry O’Neill, she went on to become Brasenose’s first female MP.
• First ladies rowing shell ordered in 1985, arriving in Hilary 1986.
• First college to get double sets of blades for the First VIII – Brasenose Women’s First VIII, 1988.

[5] The distinctions are important here. The Second Eight’s win does precede the First Eight’s so the second Eight can rightly say they were the first BNC women’s boat to get blades.

First women blues and half blues for some sports:

• Lee-Teng Chung (2003), Karate, 2004.
• Charlotte Harris (1995), Katie Herald (1995), Real Tennis, 1999.
• Karen Ball (1988), Rowing (Lightweight), 1991-2.
• Claire Bichard (1991), Horse Riding, 1991-2.
• Annette Chandler (1984), Water Polo, 1986.
• Katrin Schumann (1985), Ice Hockey, 1986.
• Belinda Dennis (1978), Table Tennis, 1981-2.
• Jane Alexander (1978), Fencing, 1978-9.
• Lynn Kingston (1977), Belinda Dennis (1978), Netball, 1978-9.
• Denise Williams (1978), Tennis, 1978-9.
• Katy Child (1974), Swimming, 1975-6.

4. Undergraduate degree ‘firsts’

Rosa Beddington (Physiology, 1974) in 1977. Rosa then took her DPhil at BNC and became Platnauer Junior Research Fellow in 1982, the same year Mary Stokes took up the Governing Body post she had been elected to the year before. A fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and greatly respected Embryologist, the Royal Society published a pamphlet on her life and achievements following her death at the early age of 45.

• Modern Languages: Valerie Worth (1975), 1978.
• Jurisprudence: Kim Tither (1975), 1978.
• Chemistry (Part 2): Liz Gold (1975), 1979.
• English: Nicola Watson (1977), 1980.
• Music: Margaret Ozanne (1980), 1983.
• History and Economics: Emanuele Labovitch (1984), 1987.
• Classics and English: Josephine Higgs (1995), 1998.
• Economics and Management: Laura Hannay (2000) and Elizabeth Newman (2000), 2003.
• Engineering, Economics and Management: Penelope Hull (1999), 2003.
• Engineering and Computation: Eve Donachie (2003), 2007.
• English and Modern Languages: Georgia Mallin (2007), 2011. 

First (known) women’s Congratulatory First – Alyson Coates (1982), Biochemistry, 1986.

5. College Prizes and lecture series

• First alumna to give the Tanner Lectures – Diane Coyle (1978) in 2012, but Diane was not the first non-BNC woman to give them – Janet Suzmann gave the Lectures in 2009.
• First women to win Brasenose’s Bridgeman essay prize – Diane Coyle (1978) in 1979 (and again in 1980).
• First woman winner of the Reynolds Prize (for outstanding undergraduate achievement in a given year) – Lynne Roberts (1976), 1978.

6. Diversity and Equality milestones

• The first annual Equality Lecture, on ‘Women, Family and the Economy,’ was delivered by Sarah Jackson (1977) in November 2019.
• The first recorded women’s group was established in 1988. The group was revived in 1993 under new woman Fellow and women’s adviser Corinne Saunders. Women’s groups in both the JCR and the HCR were reported on continuously for the next few years and the constitution of the JCR was changed so that the women’s officers in both JCR and HCR could co-operate. In 1998 a committee reported activities including: ‘a car maintenance class and the formation of a truly formidable darts team, all in all, excellent training for our conquest of the world’ – organised by Jo Yates (JCR, 1995). Early debates on the division of roles and responsibilities abounded, and centred round such issues as whether the Women’s, Equality and Welfare positions should be merged, but the possible unfairness of leadership having to be female if they were.
• Most recently (2021) the JCR Rep roles were separated, with the Women’s Representative representing female-identifying students, alongside Representatives for Welfare and Diversity & Equality. The current JCR group for women is known as “FemSoc,” chaired by the Women’s Rep.
• First JCR Women’s Representative – Sarah Castle (1981): ‘I made a few symbolic changes like getting Tampax machines installed and removing the word 'Gentleman' from library tickets and battels! I think I got women from Greenham Common to come and give a talk. We also campaigned to get VAT taken off sanitary products which finally happened in ...er… 2021!’

7. Chapel and religion

• First permanent female Chaplain – Revd Julia Baldwin, 2017-2022.
• First woman undergraduate to say grace in hall: Sara Jones (1974) ‘The Principal, the wonderful, Herbert Hart, had a tankard of ale sent to me at my seat afterwards.’ Susan Treggiari (below) reports being the first woman academic to say grace in Hall.
• First female Organ Scholar – Catherine Brindley (1998), 1999-2000.
• First female Bible Clerk – Susan Matthews (1980).

8. BNC Fellows and lecturers

• There were women teaching BNC male undergraduates before 1974, but these women did not have permanent positions (tenure).
• First BNC woman governing body fellow, Mary Stokes (1976), Fellow in Jurisprudence 1982-8.[6] Mary was the first Brasenose women to get the top First in Law, and the second woman to get a First in Law at Brasenose. Mary won the Vinerian Prize for her top law First. She stepped down in 1988 to take up her successful career as a barrister.
• First BNC woman Visiting Fellow – 1976-77, Susan Treggiari, a classicist who did her undergraduate degree at LMH and was taught Roman history by David Stockton at Brasenose. She is Professor Emeritus of Stanford University and a retired member of the Oxford Classics Faculty. She specialises in family and marriage in Ancient Rome, in Cicero and has taken an interest in women in classics, involving herself in several initiatives. Susan regularly dines at BNC nowadays. She writes: ‘I was presumably the first woman to act as Dean of Degrees (I remember the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors looking extremely encouraging) and read grace at one of the formal feasts during my fellowship year. How normal it is now.’
• Maria Chevska: an early and long term (26 year) supernumerary Fine Art Fellow at BNC, from 1990 until 2016. She was Professor of Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art. Foremost a painter, her works engage with poetry, language, and writers that connect to and exist in dialogue with philosophy, memory, history, and current events.
• First woman Dean Mary Stokes, 1986-7. Diane Roberts (1980) was first woman Assistant Dean in 1985.
• Longest-standing female fellow at BNC - Anne Edwards (1974), who joined as fellow in 1994: ‘The reprehensible lack of women Fellows is to be further helped by the election of Anne Edwards as a supernumerary fellow from January 1995. Anne was one of the first generation of Brasenose Women Undergraduates and is currently a consultant in genito-urinary surgery at the Radcliffe Infirmary. From next October she will also act as our adviser to women students.’ (Brazen Nose). Anne spoke at the first dinner commemorating women’s admission in1999 and arranged another gathering and wrote a report on the 30^th anniversary for the Brazen Nose.
• Professor Sos Eltis, Fellow and tutor in English and Theatre studies, who joined as a Fellow in 1997, was the first tutorial fellow to take maternity leave, the first to go part time, the first to chair a major College Committee - the Academic Committee - and the first Woman Vice Principal.
• Anne Davies, Professor of Law and Public Policy was the first woman Dean (Head of Department) of the Oxford University Faculty of Law (Head of Department) from 2015-2020 and is currently (2025) BNC’s second woman Vice Principal[7].
• First female Honorary Fellow: Dame Julie Mellor, former Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, 2003. By 2024 BNC had 9 women Honorary Fellows.

[7] Information from Sos Eltis in Principal’s conversation, January 2025

Commentary: a snapshot of progress in BNC Women’s academic positions over time. 

The different types of ‘Fellowship’ at BNC can be confusing to external readers.

It is observed by current BNC’s Women Fellows that when measuring the progress of women academics not only the numbers, but type of fellowships, for example, permanency, as well as terms and conditions of employment such as maternity provision, need to be taken into consideration.

The Brazen Nose indicates initial progress was slow, with recurrent setbacks to numbers. After the departure of Mary Stokes there was a gap in governing body fellows until the arrival of Anne Edwards (1994), and later, Sos Eltis (1997), both of whom remain at BNC.

In 1998 Female governing body Fellows are reported in the Brazen Nose to have reached 3, though it is noted by current Fellows that one of these positions was a Junior Research Fellowship – a temporary role. Numbers remained in this ballpark for several years. By 2000 there were also 3 women members of the governing body – this time, all permanent posts, including the newly appointed Abigail Green.

In 2003, BN, p.61 Anne Edwards, as advisor for women and equal opportunities wrote wryly, referencing rises on small bases: ‘The Senior College has until recently escaped the influence of mixing. However, since 1995 there has been a 600% increase in women on the fellowship which bodes well for the next decade.’

By 2010 the number of Women Fellows in the main Brazen Nose list had risen to 7.

It is in comparatively recent years that the presence of women in senior positions and on the governing body has stabilised at a higher level. John Bowers writes in 2024: “we now have 14 women out of 42 members of Governing Body and 9 of our Research Fellows are female.” He expresses an opinion that this is still ‘not enough.’

9. College Staff

• BNC has had at least three women domestic Bursars, the woman Bursar serving from 1983 being a former undergraduate.
• The first woman lodge porter appeared in 1998.
• The number of female administrators is many, with one senior administrator, a PA commemorated in the Brazen Nose having served 28 years in positions assisting College leaders.
• All the Alumni Relations and Development Directors to date, including the first, have been women.

10. Alumni Leaders

• Alexandra served as Secretary from 1995-2019, and as President for 2007-8. She launched a graduate mentoring scheme in 1998 and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the College in 2017.
• First female President of the Brasenose Alumni Society – Alexandra Marks (1977).
• First woman members of the Brasenose Society (Brasenose Alumni Society) – Alexandra Marks (1977) and Jane Alexander (1978), invited to join in September 1985.

11. Commemorations of Women at BNC 

• Commemorative Events - dinners, special day events, lectures and conversation series were conducted for the 25^th, 30^th, 40^th and now the 50^th anniversary of the admission of women. A silver pepper grinder was fundraised for, commissioned and presented to the College in 1999.
• JCR Portraits of ‘Amazing Alumnae’. For the 40^th anniversary of the admission of women, 10 black and white photographic portraits of BNC women were commissioned by the JCR , the Brasenose Alumni Society and Principal for display on the JCR’s walls: subjects include Mary Stokes (1976), Ceri Hutton (1981), Rachel Harrison (1990), and Fay Schlesinger (2002). College members and Alumni nominated and voted on the subjects. Photographs were by Bill Knight, and commemorative interviews with the ten women by contemporary undergraduates are in a pdf booklet held by BNC.
• The BNC women graduates whose oil portraits hang in Hall were completed in good time for the 50^th anniversary, their labels appearing by 2023. The portraits celebrate Katherine Allen (1974), Director of Amnesty International 2000-2010 and Catherine Bond-Hill, President of Vassar College (2006-16), both by Alessandro Raho. They hang alongside those of early benefactors Joyce Frankland and Sarah Somerset.[8]

[8] Most of the painters of BNC portraits are men, the exception is Juliet Wood’s painting of Maurice Platnauer, unveiled 2012.