Pianos, Poetry and More

Irene Wainwright-Snatt’s (1920–2021) intellectual curiosity knew no bounds. Professionally successful, she was also an avid traveller, a painter, a ferocious reader, an adept linguist and a published poet.

Irene (née Snatt) was born in Brighton in 1920, later moving to London with her family. Her father sadly died when she was young and so she knew struggle and hardship early on as she and her mother made their way in the world. Despite financial pressures Irene excelled at school and she won a county scholarship to attend Girton, matriculating in 1940 to read English. Irene threw herself into College life, writing poems, acting, singing, editing a College magazine, and learning Danish.

A College tutor’s report praised Irene for her breadth of interests and ‘…her very great intelligence and distinction of mind. She is a student of originality and character…’. She won the Chancellor’s Medal for Verse while at Cambridge, and later the Seatonian Prize, the first woman to do so.

In 1943, after graduating, Irene was drafted into the Ministry of Agriculture where she rose through the ranks becoming a permanent executive officer in the ministry’s legal department in 1950. This work piqued her interest in the law and in 1955, she began to read for the bar at Gray’s Inn, qualifying in 1960. Irene then worked as clerk to several of the London magistrate courts.

In 2001 she was married for the first time, to Derek Wainwright, an old friend and legal colleague. Together they pursued their cultural interests even as Derek’s health declined. Irene was widowed in 2009 but she continued to embrace all life had to offer, visiting India and Brazil, attending art classes and seeing friends and family.

Irene very generously included Girton in her Will. She placed no restriction on her gift, which will enable Girton to use this support to underpin every aspect of College life—an extraordinary gift in itself. To recognise Irene’s generosity the College Council elected to use a portion of her gift to support three projects that reflect Irene’s passions.

Music. Music is the lifeblood of Girton. Each year there is a packed calendar of recitals, concerts and informal musical occasions. While Girton has a number of pianos, the Steinway Model B piano located in the Stanley Library is the only instrument suitable for performances of the quality delivered by the College’s incredible musical talent and external performers. This instrument is now over 30 years old and despite careful stewardship the reliability of any instrument of this type declines over time. Thanks to Irene’s gift Girton can purchase a new grand piano meaning the College will have high-quality instruments in two key performance spaces, further enhancing the College’s musical credentials.

Poetry. The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is a national poetry competition established in 2011 and named in memory of Jane Martin thanks to a generous gift from her father, Professor Sir Laurence Martin. Each year the prize attracts over 400 entries, and the competition is judged by experts drawn from across the literary world and academia. Irene’s generosity will allow the College to support the important work that goes into running this prize, from short listing, to judging and hosting winners and judges at a special annual event.

James’s poems brought together to reflect on Girton not just as a physical place inhabited by people, but as an idea that passes through time, transmitted through the work of the people of Girton. Irene’s support will enable this unique collaboration to be turned into a coffee-table book, one that complements the existing College publications on poetry and the Lawrence Room collection.

Irene maintained a life-long interest in music, art and poetry, and thanks to her remarkable gift she will enhance the College’s cultural life for generations to come.