On 11th October 1979, 41 women crossed Worcester’s threshold as undergraduates and graduates, the first time that women had been admitted as students of the College.

Worcester’s doors were fully opened after 265 years, but only after considerable debate amongst the College community. It is important, in this celebratory year, not to erase the role women have played in Worcester’s history even when denied formal membership. On entering College, to mark this 40th anniversary year a number of boards are on display, starting with ‘Generation 1979’, ‘Women and Worcester before 1979’,  ‘Worcester’s Pioneers’, ‘MCR & JCR’, ‘Ongoing Struggles’ and finally we took the opportunity to update the ‘History of the College’ recognising the newest of our buildings, the Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre.