The Women's Higher Education Association was formed in 1878 with the aim of creating a women's college in Oxford. The exact religious orientation of the desired institution was the source of much debate and division which resulted in a split and the formation of two colleges. Lady Margaret Hall was to provide for Anglicans and Somerville Hall was not to make distinctions based on membership of different religious denominations. Somerville Hall was named in 1879, after Mary Somerville, the influential Scottish mathematician who had recently died, and was renamed Somerville College in 1894. Mary was the first person to sign a parliamentary petition in support of women's suffrage and strongly supported the opening educational opportunities to women. She was largely self-taught and by writing these books "On the Connection of the Physical Sciences" she earned a formidable reputation. (This book reached ten editions during her lifetime.) A portrait of Mary, by John Jackson, now hangs at the south end of the hall. Producer of prominent female politicians The college was used as a military hospital during the First World War and used as accommodation for nurses from the nearby Radcliffe Infirmary during the Second World War. In 1959 it was finally admitted as a full college of the University of Oxford. The institution maintained its all-female status until 1992, when men were admitted. He educated Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, along with Cornelia Sorabji, India's first female lawyer. Margaret Thatcher, former British Conservative Prime Minister, is perhaps Somerville's best-known daughter. On the other side of the political fence, influential liberal Shirley Williams also went to college. Final year students can be accommodated on site, but most second year students must provide for themselves. Food in the lobby is reasonably priced and of variable quality, but being "pay as you go" discerning students have the option of stopping at one of the trendy cafes nearby. The college library has a huge collection of over 120,000 books and is one of the best in the university. It is open 24 hours a day to allow those most inspired by the darkness to function to their fullest capacity. During Trinity term the courtyard becomes a huge living room, the 'Please stay off the grass' signs conspicuous by their absence. Enjoyable social activities like croquet and Frisbee coexist with students working on their laptops and reading course work. Simply idyllic!