Cambridge University's Colleges

Cambridge is well-known as a collegiate university town. Peterhouse (above) is the oldest college, founded in 1284 - and happened to be the first one I arrived at, walking down Trumpington Street. When the university is in session (and, I guess, also because of Covid concerns) many of the colleges are closed to visitors but you can peep through the gates and see a glimpse of the beautiful old buildings. 

The next college I peeped in was Pembroke (below), founded in 1347 by Marie St Pol de Valence, who, it is said, had the misfortune to be widowed on her wedding day when her husband the Earl of Pembroke was killed in a jousting tournament. (Other accounts say that his death came some three years after they were married.) 

Further along, I came to Corpus Christi, unusual in that it was founded in 1352 by townspeople, members of two Guilds. Its library has a superb collection of rare books and manuscripts, amassed by Matthew Parker, the Master from 1544 to 1553, who had the foresight to rescue many from destruction after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is, allegedly, from him that we get the term 'Nosey Parker', as he was very inquisitive. 

Corpus Christi's New Court, built in 1827 (photos above and below) is fabulous, all mellow stone with soaring pinnacles and neo-gothic windows. 

Trumpington Street widens to become King's Parade by the famous gatehouse and Chapel of King's College, founded by Henry VI in 1441. It was originally exclusively for boys from Eton College; non-Etonians were admitted from 1873; in 1972 it was one of the first Cambridge colleges to admit women - to the benefit of my lovely daughter, who studied here twenty years ago. 

The Victorian postbox outside King's must be one of the most famous postboxes in England - and the magnificent Gothic Chapel is certainly one of the most-photographed sights in Cambridge. 

The Front Court is an elegant square, flanked by the Chapel (above), the neo-classical Gibbs Building built in the 1720s and (shown in my photo below) the gatehouse and halls, a library and residential buildings completed in Gothic Revival style by William Wilkins in 1828.

I'll add photos from my visit to Kings College Chapel in a separate post. 

I took a brief rest for refreshments here, quite delightful in the sunshine. King's Parade has a convenient Caffé Nero, providing outside tables with a grandstand view of the interesting mix of people milling up and down the street.  

Next stop to peep through the gate: Gonville and Caius (pronounced 'keys'), whose court looked like a rather pretty green oasis. 

Further still, you arrive at the magnificent gatehouse entrance to Trinity College, the largest college, whose bowler-hatted porters were happy to pose for a photo (and are no doubt very used to it!) Trinity was founded in 1546 by Henry VIII. His statue adorns the gatehouse, apparently holding a chair leg rather than a sceptre, thanks to some students' prank. 

The final college that I photographed was Magdalene (1542) (pronounced 'Maudlin'), which sits alongside the River Cam. It's a mellow building, made of hand-made bricks, with a rather lovely oriel window beside the gate. Magdalene holds Samuel Pepys' entire library, including his famous diaries, donated to his old college after his death in 1703.

It was really pleasant just wandering, and having reached the River Cam, I decided to return to the station along the Backs - literally the path along the river past the backs of all the colleges - just for a different view.