Queen's College, London occupies an extraordinary position in the history of education. It was founded in 1848 by Frederick Denison Maurice, professor of English Literature and History at King's College, London and a Christian socialist thinker.
His ambition was to provide a means by which girls and young women could gain a serious education, and Queen's was the first institution in Great Britain where they could study for and gain academic qualifications.
In 1853 Queen's became the first girls’ school to receive a Royal Charter, from Queen Victoria, which established much of the organisation of the College. Following this early royal patronage, the Patron of the College was always a queen, and our most recent patron was the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In keeping with its radical and pioneering past, Queen's has maintained a liberal and self-confident tradition throughout its history. It has educated young women who have gone on to become leaders in their professions and who have blazed trails in just about every walk of life.
On Wednesday, 29th March 2023 – exactly 175 years to the day that F. D. Maurice launched Queen’s College, London – we held a special Founder’s Day celebration in St Marylebone Parish Church where the Principal, Richard Tillett, made this speech about our Founder, F.D. Maurice, the very early days of the College and the lessons we can learn today from Maurice’s extraordinary life.
As an organisation we are proud of our continued adherence to the values and principles established when Queen’s was founded in 1848, as the first educational establishment in the UK to offer academic qualifications to young women. In the words of our founder:
“We shall be glad to improve our practice every day, not alter our principle.”