Join Girton College Historian, Dr Hazel Mills, as she discusses the work of Elizabeth Welsh, the sixth Mistress of Girton College and Gardens Steward from 1883 - 1903. It was under her care and attention that the College grounds began to take the shape that we recognise today. A pre-recorded tour of Miss Welsh’s garden is available to watch further down this page.
In preparing this talk, Dr Mills drew on the February 2001 Exhibition on the Girton website on Elizabeth Welsh www.girton.cam.ac.uk/events/elizabeth-welsh-1843-1921; on material in the Girton College Archive, and on the following books and articles which might be interesting to anyone wishing to know more about this subject.
Brown, J, A Garden of Our Own. A History of Girton College Garden, (Girton College, Cambridge, 1999)
Richardson, T, Cambridge College Gardens, (White Lion Publishing, London, 2019)
Stephen, B, Emily Davies and Girton College, (Constable & Co, London, 1927)
Waterhouse, P, Victorian Monument: Buildings of Girton College, (Prudence Waterhouse, 1990)
Brück, Joanna, “Landscapes of Desire: Parks, Colonialism, and Identity in Victorian and Edwardian Ireland.” International Journal of Historical Archaeology, vol. 17, no. 1, Springer, 2013, pp. 196–223,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23352208.
Dr Hazel Mills
Hazel Mills taught History for Fitzwilliam and then Girton College for nearly 20 years, and for periods was a Girton Director of Studies. Her academic research has focused on the history of women and gender after 1750. More recently she has been investigating the fascinating history of Girton College.
Gardens Map
Miss Welsh's Garden - A Magical & Gracious Gift
Enjoy this pre-recorded tour of Miss Welsh’s garden, written and presented by Maureen Hackett, Undergraduate Tutor and Junior Bursar of the College.