As far back as Neolithic times, the lowest reliable fording point on the River Cam or Granta – near Castle Hill – was an important strategic site. Over the centuries it was successively developed by the Romans, Saxons and Normans into the prosperous town of Cambridge, a busy trading centre on the route between eastern and central England. It was in this thriving market town that a group of students, fleeing riots in Oxford, arrived in 1209. Cambridge soon became a teaching centre for scholars from the monasteries in the area, and was well established by the end of the 13th century.
In 1284 the first college was established in the south of the city, to house and support a few scholars. During the next 700 years, the other 30 colleges were founded by bishops and businessmen, kings and queens.
The shape of the city changed considerably during the 14th and 15th centuries, and the physical impact of the university was felt as more land was used for the new buildings, particularly when the Tudor kings appropriated a large area of medieval Cambridge to found their city centre colleges. Not surprisingly, disputes between townspeople and town and University authorities were many and occasionally led to violence.
Today the serenity of the immaculate lawns and gardens makes such a state of affairs difficult to imagine although the tranquillity of the cloistered courts still provides a welcome refuge from the hectic pace of life in any expanding city.
Famous people from all walks of life have studied and researched at Cambridge, including religious leaders such as Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley; writers such as Samuel Pepys, Charles Kingsley and the poets John Milton, Lord Byron, William Wordsworth and Sylvia Plath; and brilliant scientists such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Ernest Rutherford and Dorothy Hodgkin. With a long history of illustrious names and surroundings of such stunning beauty, it is hardly surprising that Cambridge makes a deep impression on all how come to this ancient centre of learning.
Many visitors to Cambridge find the relationship between the University and the colleges confusing. A Cambridge college plays a far more significant part in an undergraduate’s life than a hall of residence in a non-collegiate university.
The college provides a ‘community of scholars’ in which the students live, work and study during their years at Cambridge. A student must be admitted to a college before he or she can become a member of the University.
The 31 colleges contribute funds to the University, which provides the central resources for promoting research and teaching – such as lecture theatres, faculty libraries and laboratories; sets the curriculum; conducts the examinations and confers the degrees; and meets a major part of the bill for academic salaries. The University has its own central administration, whilst every college has a governing body which runs the organisation and decides on policy. Each college is, therefore a self-governing community with its own way of life, providing opportunities for students and fellows of many disciplines to intermingle. As each individual college operates independently and chooses its own members, this very much sets the character of the college.
In the past college life revolved around the three great communal areas – the chapel, the library and the dining hall – and these are still an essential parts of even the most recent colleges. Access to the colleges is usually restricted, and so conference delegates may find themselves in the privileged position of being able to enjoy facilities not normally open to the general public
In recent years Cambridge has become an internationally acknowledged centre of excellence for technology and science. The growth of the city’s science and innovation parks has been so rapid that the area around the city is now affectionately known as ‘Silicon Fen’ and has a reputation that rivals that of America’s Silicon Valley.
Despite its ultra modern image however, the city has retained its picturesque charm and continues to delight visitors from all over the world.
Corpus Christi College is one of the ancient colleges of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, it bears the distinction of being the only College in Oxford or Cambridge founded by their citizens. Last year the College celebrated 650 years of commitment to teaching and research, carried out on the site of its original foundation in the heart of mediaeval Cambridge.
The College was founded in 1496, and it originally consisted of buildings taken over from the nunnery of St Mary and St Radegund: namely the chapel, and the cloister attached to it; the nuns' refectory, which became the college hall; and the former lodging of the prioress, which became the Master's Lodge. This set of buildings remains the core of the college to this day, and this accounts for its distinctly peaceful and spacious character, which sets it apart from all the other Cambridge colleges.
Sidney Sussex College was founded in 1596 under the will of Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex and aunt of the poet, Sir Philip Sidney, on the site of a dissolved Franciscan friary. It is a small, picturesque college offering a beautiful and welcoming setting for students keen on a fulfilling learning experience. The campus has extensive gardens where students can enjoy quiet walks or a good book.
Its distinguished alumni include Oliver Cromwell and six Nobel Prize winners: CF Powell, CTR Wilson, Rudolph Marcus, John Pople, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes and Sir John Walker. Sidney is also reputed to have been the College of Sherlock Holmes.
Magnificent Elm trees, stately green lawns and placid moats under rustic bridges make an idyllic place for quiet reflection and relaxed study. The SSP courses are held in and around the beautiful Cambridge campus, meeting in University buildings, libraries, museums and athletic facilities that are located within convenient walking distance of residences and classrooms.