Cambridge (Part 1)

I think this blog is another two parter. Last weekend we went to Cambridge to visit our friends Greg and Chantelle. From what I can tell Cambridge is essentially a city dominated by a university made of colleges. It is a very pretty place with loads of old buildings. Many of history's most notable intellectuals were educated or worked at Cambridge including Issac Newton, J.J. Thompson, Francis Crick, James Watson, Valdamir Nobokov, Bertrand Russel, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking to name just a few. I was dishearten when I compared the list of notable members at Cambridge to the alumni lists at my alma maters but then I remembered that Cambridge has been established since 1209 and given about 800 years I think UW and UVic would catch up.

This is the chapel at King's Collage viewed from the west end. The university consists of 31 colleges which vary in terms of the size of their endowments, grounds and enrollment. Students are accepted into a collage after an intensive selection process. King's was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI. Construction of the chapel started in 1443 but the exterior was not completed until 1508 due to lack of funds. When Henry VI's money ran out, the west wall was only 8 ft high. The two phases of construction are marked by the lighter stone on the bottom of the building and the darker stone on top (both visible in the photo). King Henry VIII finished the interior of the building according to his own design in 1544. People are not allowed to walk on the grass at any of the collages unless you are a fellow of the collage or are invited onto the grass by a fellow. Needless to say, the grass in Cambridge is gorgeous. The green spaces in the city are clearly visible from the satellite view using google maps.

This is the main gate at St. John's Collage. The three people are Bryan, Greg and Chantelle. St. John's and Trinity colleges are arch rivals.

This is the Cam River which flows through Cambridge.


This apple tree is reputed to be a decendent of the tree which inspired Newton's insight into gravity. It is located outside of Trinity Collage where Newton was a student. Trinity is the wealthiest Oxbridge collage with an estimated wealth of ~1.4 billion pounds.


Ceiling in the atrium leading into the chapel at Trinity College. This room also houses statues some of Trinity's distingushed alumi (see wikipedia for a giant list).


This was taken inside the greenhouse at the university's botanic gardens which was founded by Professor John Stevens Henslow. In addition to his scientific contributions, Henslow was an influential mentor to Charles Darwin. Teachers are important.


I think the plaque speaks for itself. It is located on an exterior wall of the Old Cavendish Laboratory which was founded by James Clerk Maxwell (member of Trinity College). There are a lot of 'ghosts' for students and researches at this school.