This article concerns the educational philosophy of S. Margery Fry (1874-1958) and its impact upon the design, organisation and functions of university residences for women in the twentieth century. According to Carol Dyhouse, Fry, the only woman on the University Grants Committee from 1919 to 1947, 'exerted considerable influence over the shape of provision for women across the country'. Taking a biographical approach based on Fry's personal papers and institutional archives, this article explores her ideas and locates the origins of them in her early experiences, both as a student and subsequently as the first warden of University House, Birmingham.