The first leaseholder was the
philanthropist Mary Jephson (1823–1892), who named the house "Gunfield". She lived there with her mother Ann Sarah Jephson (1796–1878), widow of the Rev. William Jephson, M.A., and some of her sisters. She died at Gunfield in 1892 and was buried in
St Sepulchre's Cemetery, Oxford. Her sister Norah Jephson, also a philanthropist, who was still living at Gunfield, died in 1899 at the home of her brother-in-law Harry Webb in
Winchester. Norah Jephson left Gunfield in her will to her friend
Elizabeth Wordsworth (1840–1932), the first Principal of the nearby women-only
Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) during 1879–1909, for the use of the Hall. In 1915, the house and chapel were joined by Arthur Hamilton Moberly. A loggia looking onto the rear garden was also added by Moberly. An extension and garage were built by the former chapel (later a music room), and the main chapel window was changed during the 1930s. attended by guests including
Albert Einstein and
Albert Schweitzer. By the 1970s, the windows on the south side of the chapel had been blocked off by a fireplace and chimney, with the space occupied by a college Fellow. In 1992, Howes, Montgomery & Allen refurbished Gunfield for
St Edmund Hall. The
Rhodes Trust donated £25,000 towards the refurbishment. The work undertaken included an extension to the link building, enclosure of the previously open verandah, rebuilding of the chimneys and roof, and new windows. At the same time, the building was Grade II listed. ==Present day==