Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Caution: Students at Work
The colleges are almost all closed dur-
ing May and June when students are
taking exams. Check with the Cam-
bridge Tourist Information Centre (see
above) for opening times, or check
with each individual college. They are
also closed during graduation ceremo-
nies, at Easter, bank holidays, and other
times without notice.
Exploring Cambridge University
Scholars have been studying at Cambridge since the early 13th century, with Henry
III granting the students his protection in 1231. At this stage they were a loosely
organized group, but during the medieval period the university was arranged in a
similar style to Oxford, with a foundation course leading to graduation and degrees.
It wasn't until the late 14th century that the university began acquiring its own prem-
ises, beginning with the site now known as Senate House Hill. Land and buildings
were sometimes donated by wealthy people on condition that students, mostly study-
ing to become clergymen, prayed for them. The university grew even more quickly in
the 16th century, with Henry VIII founding Trinity College. Already established col-
leges, such as Emmanuel and Magdalene, took over larger premises, and the study of
Greek, Latin, and classics (as well as divinity) indicated a move away from simply
educating clerics. During the late 1600s and 1700s mathematics and science began
to dominate the university. This was thanks largely to Sir Isaac Newton, who formu-
lated the principles of gravity. During this period, the University Press, the Botanic
Garden, and the University Library were established. Reforms during the 19th cen-
tury rearranged the university into something like the institution we know today, and
two colleges for women were established: Girton in 1869 and Newnham in 1872.
However, women could not become full members of the university until 1947, and it
wasn't until the 1960s that some of the older colleges began to admit female students.
Cambridge University now consists of 31 colleges, all co-educational except three
that remain female-only: Newnham, Murray Edwards College, and Lucy Cavendish.
The colleges are all open to the public at certain times, but each has its own opening
times and admission prices. The following are some of the most interesting colleges,
and if you have time you could also visit
Magdalene College,
on Magdalene Street,
founded in 1542;
Pembroke College,
on Trumpington Street, founded in 1347;
Christ's College,
on St. Andrew's Street, founded in 1505; and
Corpus Christi
College,
on Trumpington Street, which dates from 1352.
Emmanuel College
HISTORIC SITE Emmanuel, on St. Andrew's Street, was
founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Elizabeth I's chancellor of the exchequer.
Mildmay was a Puritan and of the 100 Cambridge graduates who emigrated to
New England before 1646, 35 were from Emmanuel. The college's gardens,
designed by Sir Christopher Wren, are particularly attractive, as are the cloister
and chapel, consecrated in 1677.
Insider tip:
John Harvard, of the eponymous American university in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, was among the Emmanuel graduates who immigrated to New Eng-
land. There's a memorial to him in the chapel.
St. Andrew's St.
&
01223/334200.
www.emma.cam.ac.uk. Free entry to grounds and chapel.
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