UK trip, Aug 2007 - Cambridge

Cambridge is an old English university town and it is best known for the University of Cambridge.

SP and I have visited the University of Oxford previously, so it seems natural to visit Cambridge as well. SP's foodie friend also recommended a Michelin-starred restaurant to us and it certainly doesn't hurt to accompany a weekend trip with some fine dinning!

So, back to the University of Cambridge. It was formed when a group of scholars decided to leave Oxford in 1209 after they had some dispute with the townspeople. The two universities are rivals until today.

The university does extremely well in humanities and the arts, but it is most famous for its scientists and mathematicians, which include Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking.

During summertime, the grounds of the colleges are filled with people. Most of the actual students are away for summer holidays, and the people there are mainly tourists and alumnus. So, what are the alumnus doing there? To get married, of course! The graduates of the university have the previlege to get married in the colleges that they read with. During our visits, we saw no less than 5 weddings!

In front of the King's College's Chapel. The people gathered in front of the chapel are waiting for the tourist to be kicked out so they can go in to attend the marriage ceremony.

The grounds of the colleges are generally nicely maintained. They usually have a sign on it that tell people to get off the grass (the blue one in the picture above). The rule doesn't apply to everyone. If you are senior members of the college, then you are allowed on the grass. However, you can only walk on your own grass. So a Fellow at King's College won't be allowed to go on the grass at Trinity College, unless he/she is accompanied by a senior member of Trinity College. There are also some patches on “the Backs” (riverside area behind the college) that are accessible to students. Certain lawns are accessible to graduates in formal gowns. Complicated, eh?

One of the most touristy place at the University Cambridge is the King's College. The college was founded by Henry VI in 1441 specifically for poor boys who graduated from his charity school - Eton College (formally known as King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor). The connection between the colleges and Eton remained very strong for many years. King's College only admitted first non-Etonian undergraduate in 1865.

The College Chapel at King's College is the symbol of Cambridge and it is on the logo of the city council. The Chapel Choir is also world-famous, performing in concerts around the world. In particular, it has broadcast its Carols on the BBC on Christmas Eve every year since 1930s.

The largest fan vault ceiling in the world.

The painting “The Adoration of the Magi” by Rubens.

The stained windows are beautiful. But what's more interesting to me are the carvings and what they symbolise. Here, you see the double Tutor rose (red rose of the House of Lancaster combined with the white rose of the House of York) on the left and the portcullis (emblem of the Beaufort family and Henry VII's mother Lady Mary Beaufort) on the right with the crown on top.

The King's Chapel and the Gibb's building.

The colleges at the University of Cambridge are not all welcoming. They are closed to visitors from time to time. Some of the more popular ones charge a entrance fee during tourist season. Trinity College is one of them.

The Great Gate at Trinity College, founded by Henry VIII. You can see his statute above the doorway. Trinity College is the largest college in both Oxford and Cambridge. It is also the wealthiest, with an estimated financial endowment of approximately £700 million. This amount excludes its land and other fixed assets. It has traditionally been considered the most aristocratic of the Cambridge colleges. King Edward VII, King George VI and Prince Charles all attended it.

I thought this is a very pretty picture. There is certainly a traditional university-like environment at Cambridge!

The Mathematical bridge in Queens' College is also famous. There is a story going around about the origin of this bridge. According to the story, the bridge was originally designed by Isaac Newton without using any nails. The students took it down and then found that they were unable to put it back together. However, the story is just a made-up one. The bridge was not designed or built by Isaac Newton. The bridge was erected after his death and it was designed by a fella called William Etheridge. Nor is the bridge that we see today the original one. The one in the picture below is the third one. However, the design was the same as the original one. It is made with teak instead of oak though. Finally, the bridge has always had bolts in it. So, why is it called the Mathematical Bridge? Well, in the 18th Century, the usual description for such designs was 'geometrical construction', so this could be one of the possible explanation for its name.

Punting on the River Cam is also very popular with the tourists.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also called the Round Church), is a small Norman church, which is now used for exhibitions. It is one of four round churches in Britain and it was built by the Knights Templar. One of the other round church is the Temple Church in London, made famous by the Da Vinci Code .