Cambridge for Visitors

Just an hour north of London by train, (from Liverpool Street Station), Cambridge is situated on a bend of the River Cam. The famous university town is now also one of Britain's leading centers of the high-tech industry.

Providing a stunning view, the greatest colleges can be found in a row with their gardens backing onto the River Cam. You can hire a punt to glide along this special bit of river, known as The Backs. The colleges are open for visitors to walk around (some are closed during exam time, April to mid-June) and admire the magnificent architecture.

The city center is ideal for pedestrians. There are bicycles everywhere as the student population has realized it is the most convenient mode of transportation! The town center is a lovely place, with lots of shops (bookshops especially), bars, restaurants and excellent museums.

Cambridge dates back to Neolithic times and has been settled by the Romans, Saxons and Normans, with the real growth of the city beginning some 900 years ago. Prospering as a trading route between eastern and central England, Cambridge transformed into a teaching center for scholars of nearby monasteries and then later in 13th century into the University.

Keep in mind that there is no recognizable campus here. Many visitors ask "Where is the university?" without knowing that the scattered colleges themselves are the University. Here are some details about a few of the colleges:

Christ's College - The gateway bears the enormous coat of arms of its patroness, Lady Margaret Beaufort (mother of King Henry VII), who established the institution in 1505. The poet Milton resided here in a first-floor room on the first stair on the north side of the first court. Past students include Charles Darwin.

Churchill College - Established in 1960 as the national and Commonwealth memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, the grounds of this college encompass some 40 acres of one of the largest sites of any Cambridge college. As the first major work of modern architecture in the University, it has been judged "an outstanding conception" and "the best of the new". Though the design is modern, it remains faithful to the traditional collegiate idea with interlinked courts and staircases.

Emmanuel College - The hand of the architect Sir Christopher Wren is particularly evident at Emmanuel, where he designed the chapel and colonnade. In a stained-glass window of the Chapel, there is a likeness of John Harvard, founder of Harvard University.

Jesus College - The spacious grounds of Jesus College incorporate cloisters - a remnant of the nunnery of St Radegund, which existed on the site before the college was founded in 1496. The lovely Cloister Court exudes a quiet medieval charm, an attribute evident in the adjacent chapel which also belonged to the nunnery. Past students include the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Prince Edward.

King's College is possibly Cambridge's most famous college with its marvelous chapel and choir. King Henry VI, after whom the college is named, founded the College in the 15th century. Past students include the Elizabethan spymaster Sir Francis Willingham and the computer genius Alan Turing.

New Hall was founded in 1954 on an old Roman site on Castle Hill. After the Second World War, there was a shortage of places at Cambridge for female students and New Hall was to be a solution. The Hall's Grade II* listed buildings were completed in 1965.

Peterhouse College - Cambridge's oldest college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1281 by the Bishop of Ely. Parts of the dining hall date from 1290, although its most notable feature is the stained glass by William Morris and his contemporaries. The adjacent church of Little St Mary's served as the college chapel until 1632, when the present late-gothic chapel was built. Past students include the physicists Lord Kelvin and Henry Cavendish.

Queen's College was named after the consorts of Henry VI and Edward IV. The secluded Cloister Court looks as if it has not been touched since its completion in the 1540s. Queens' masterpiece is the Mathematical Bridge, an arched wooden structure that was originally held together without fastenings. The present bridge, dating from 1902, is securely bolted.

St. John's College - The gateway to St John's is guarded by two "yales," mythical beasts with the bodies of antelopes and the heads of goats, that hold up its coat of arms. St John's is Cambridge's second-largest college and was founded in 1511 by Henry VII's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Past students include the poet William Wordsworth and the anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce.

Sidney Sussex College is smaller than many colleges, yet has interesting 17th and 18th-century buildings, most of which underwent mock-gothic "improvements" in 1832. The hall contains a portrait of Oliver Cromwell, whose head is buried in a secret location in the chapel. Past students also include the historian Asa Briggs.

Trinity College - Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is the largest college in either Cambridge or Oxford, with nearly 700 undergraduates. Many of its features match its size, not least of which is its 17th-century Great Court. Here the massive gatehouse holds a giant clock which strikes each hour with both high and low notes. The college's masterpiece is Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent library, colonnaded and seemingly constructed as much of light as of stone. Past students include the 18th century scientist Sir Isaac Newton and Prince Charles.

Trinity Hall was founded by Bishop Bateman of Norwich in 1350, making it the fifth-oldest surviving college of Cambridge University. The current site of the main college buildings, the so-called Central Site, originated from the purchase of a house intended for monks to be used during their period of study in Cambridge. Past students include the author JB Priestley.

Fitzwilliam Museum - The Fitzwilliam is one of Britain's outstanding collections of art and antiquities. The opulent interior displays its treasures to marvelous effect and the Egyptian Section in the lower gallery is particularly noteworthy. The Fitzwilliam also has one of the most comprehensive displays of English pottery and porcelain.

King's College Chapel - Perhaps the city's supreme architectural work, this chapel was built by King Henry VI toward the end of the 15th century. Inside, one's first impression is one of great space and of light flooding in from the chapel's huge windows. Described as "the noblest barn in Europe" the colors of the brilliantly colored bosses (the carved panels at the intersections of the roof ribs) are particularly intense, although hard to see without binoculars.

Great St. Mary's - Known as the University Church, Great St. Mary's stands opposite the Senate House in King's Parade. Its origins date back to the 11th century, though the present building dates from 1478. The main reason to visit today is to climb the tower. At 113 feet visitors can enjoy a superb view over the colleges and the colorful marketplace.

Market - Cambridge has a large market in the center of town on Market Hill. The use of the word "hill" to describe a flat place seems peculiar to Cambridge. The market is open from early in the morning until late in the afternoon. There are also various cafes nearby.

Punting - A punt is a flat-bottomed boat in which several people sit while one person stands at the rear end pushing it along with a long pole. In summer chauffeured punts are available to take you down the The Backs (of the colleges) in style and you can also learn some of the history of the colleges as you pass.

University Botanic Gardens - These gardens were laid out in 1846 and contain, in addition to many rare specimens, a limestone rock garden. This tranquil 40-acre garden offers over 10,000 labeled species of plant in beautifully landscaped settings.