The House at River's Edge

Cover Reveal and Women at Cambridge University

So here it is readers, the beautiful cover for my next book, The House at River’s Edge. I feel like I’ve been talking about this for a long time now - and it’s certainly been a very hard book to write, but I can finally tell you all about it.

Here’s the blurb…

1914: Anticipating a long summer of freedom at her friend's family estate in Cambridge, Grace Villiers is disappointed by an unexpected addition to their party. Then the new arrival offers to teach Grace to swim, and she is forced to see there is more to Algernon Lake than his reputation. But, with war brewing across Europe, this will be a summer that changes everything.

1997: Following her father’s sudden death, Barbara finds herself living with her mother in a house that is, literally, falling down around them. As she tries to put their new home in order, she discovers a photograph of her grandfather as a young man with his friend – two soldiers at the start of the First World War. Setting aside her grief, Barbara becomes determined to uncover their story, hoping it will bring her closer to the family she feels slipping away.

But when her search for answers opens up truths she isn’t prepared for, Barbara will come to realise, some secrets may be best left alone.

This is the first book I’ve written about war and, for many years, I avoided the subject as best I could. This story has been in my head since 2017 though I’m starting to understand that stories can only stay in an author’s head for so long before they need an outlet. Some books write themselves and others take a lot of effort. This was one of the latter but I’m so glad I persisted. I’m really proud of this book now it’s finally finished and I have some perspective. I hope you like it too.

You can pre-order it here. It’s out on 3rd May 2025.

Women at Cambridge University

The 1914 parts of The House at River’s Edge revolve around two women, Grace and Winn, who have attended Girton College in Cambridge.

In 1914 women could attend one of two colleges, Girton or Newnham, and were able to sit the Tripos (final examinations) at the end of their three years, but no matter how well they did they were not awarded degrees. In fact, I’m rather ashamed to say as a Cambridge girl, women did not receive degrees until 1948 and Cambridge was the last university in the country to award degrees to women at the end of their studies.

It boggles the mind doesn’t it?

Girton college was established by Emily Davis in 1869 and, not only was it the first women’s college at Cambridge, but it was also the first residential college for women in Britain. There were still so many barriers to overcome - women had to ask permission to attend lectures and when they did they were often ignored. They were also expected to be chaperoned in public (although I think I can imagine what Grace and Winn would have thought of that rule). In 1897 a vote on women getting degrees turned into a riot with men filling the streets and burning effigies. Great efforts were made to keep women out of student societies, and women who tried to establish careers as academics were often met with hostility.

(The riots of 1897)

Women, of course, found their own ways of resisting and working their way around the rules. For example between 1904 and 1907, Trinity College Dublin offered women from Girton and Newham the opportunity to travel to Dublin to graduate officially.

Even after 1948 when women could receive Cambridge degrees alongside the men, there was still much antagonism. I can even remember some myself.

In 1988, when I was 13, Magdelene College became the last male college to admit women. My teenage self was righteously angry about this fact alone but there was more to come. So horrified by this development were some of the male members of Magdelene College that they responded by wearing black armbands, flying the college flag at half-mast and marching about the city with a coffin complaining of the ‘death’ of the college.

Nevertheless women persisted, as we always have. And while there is much to fight for, it’s always important to remember those early scholars at Girton and Newnham, like Grace and Winn, who paved the way for the generations who came after them.

The House at River’s Edge is out on 3rd May 2025 and you can pre-order here.