'Brutalism Among the Ladies': Modern Architecture at Somerville College, Oxford, 1947-67

This article examines new buildings at Somerville College, Oxford, by Philip Dowson (of Arup Associates) and Geddes Hyslop. It explores the circumstances behind the college's apparent shift from traditionalism (Hyslop) to 'Modernism' (Dowson) and argues for a degree of continuity. It also considers the extent to which Dowson's buildings, in particular, may be thought to be modern in various different ways, not least their role in the Higher Education of women, and in this respect draws on ideas of modern monumentality and the modern interior.