We can do no better service to India than to liberate the energies of wisdom and devotion which are latent in her women, and infuse into them the vital ideals of Christianity.

Miss Eleanor McDougall
First Principal of WCC

Women’s Christian College, was founded in 1915 with 41 students and 7 faculty members, as a result of the joint venture of 12 missionary societies of interdenominational and international nature located in England, in Canada and in USA, with a mission to provide higher education to the women of India in liberal arts and sciences. 

The Campus

At the rising of the Sun, Hope; at the going down there of Peace 

Reminiscent of these words inscribed on the sundial in front of the Doveton House, the campus is a picture of serenity in the heart of the bustling city.

A year after its inception in the leased premises of Hyde Park in 1915, the College moved to Doveton House, a stately colonial mansion built by Benjamin Roebeck circa 1798. 

WCC, known for the architectural elegance of its buildings, is also a standing testimony to the selfless contributions and service of many in its early years. While the purchase of Doveton House was made possible by the generous donation from the legacy of Ms. Laura Spelman Rockefeller, the Main Hostel and the Science Block were the result of the educationists’ efforts and the committed fundraising initiative of Miss Lucy Peabody, a renowned American teacher and missionary leader.  

The Chapel, one of the most cherished buildings on campus and located at its geometric centre, was the generous and anonymous gift of an American friend, a lady who remains unknown to this day. 

The Clock Tower, standing tall from across Doveton House with its four clock faces that can be viewed from any direction, and erected in honour of Miss McDougall by her brother in 1937, is yet another feature that adds to the beauty and legacy of this beautiful campus. 

The Historic Doveton House

The Doveton House, which serves as the Administrative Block and has witnessed many significant moments in the century old journey of WCC, had its own place in the pages of history even prior to 1915. A magnificent three-storey garden house in Nungambakkam and the second to be built circa 1798 on the banks of the 72 km long River Cooum, it is named after John Doveton, a Lieutenant General with the Madras Cavalry of East India Company.

Legend has it that Tippu Sultan’s sons were entrusted to the care of Doveton in this very mansion, when they were taken hostage after the Third Mysore War. It is also claimed that Edward Clive, Robert Clive’s son, who was the Governor of Madras from 1798 to 1803, used Doveton House during the weekends 

On record, Doveton House served as the ‘prison’ for the Gaekwad of Baroda’s internment in 1875, for an attempt on the life of the British Resident in his State. The building also houses the tallest Elephant Porch in the city. It is referred to thus, as the Gaekwad of Baroda is said to have stepped straight out of his howdah onto the first floor of Doveton House in the days when royal elephants stood at a shoulder-height of 12 feet. 

When the Government acquired Doveton House in 1893, a Judge of the High Court, Sir Ralph Benson and his family were the residents of this mansion for the next ten years.

In 1914, a session of the Indian National Congress was held in a pavilion erected on the grounds.

In 1916, Miss Eleanor McDougall, the first Principal of Women’s Christian College bought Doveton House along with 11 acres of land for the princely sum of Rs. 63,000 ($25,000), and it remains the pride of the Institution to this day.