Fanny Street

Fanny Street (21 November 1877, Wilton, Wiltshire - 20 March 1962, Hindhead, Surrey)^[1] was Acting Principal of Royal Holloway College, University of London (RHC) from 1944-1945.^[2] Her brother was Arthur George Street author of Farmer's Glory.

Education

She was educated at Wilton Elementary School becoming a pupil teacher and then at Salisbury Diocesan Training College. She then attended Whitelands Training College, Chelsea, London. After returning to the Diocesan College she lectured in History for three years and then recognized she needed a degree. She was awarded a scholarship to RHC where she gained a First Class Honours degree in History in 1907.

Career

She was a lecturer at RHC from 1911-1917 and then worked briefly in the Ministry of Food Control. Together with Miss Phoebe Walters, Director of Music at RHC from 1904-1915, she founded Hillcroft College for Working Women in Surbiton, Surrey and was the first principal there from 1929-1933. The college was intended to be a female equivalent to Ruskin College in Oxford.^[1]

Between 1933-1947 she was the RHC Association (the college alumni organisation) representative on RHC's governing body. She became acting principal after the resignation of Miss Janet Bacon as she was not eligible for permanent appoint as she was already aged 66.^[2] She was succeeded by Dr Edith Clara Batho.

Street was a suffragist and joined the Labour Party when women were enfranchised.^[1][2] For many years she was a leading figure in the British Federation of University Women. She died unmarried.

References

1. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 28 July 2012
2. Bingham, Caroline (1987). The history of the Royal Holloway College 1886-1986. London: Constable. pp. 183 et seq. ISBN 0-09-468200-3.