An incredibly photogenic college, Newnham lies a little way off the beaten track. Newnham College was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, as Cambridge University’s second college for women. The first women’s college in Cambridge was Girton College, which was founded two years earlier. In Cambridge, Newnham is both the name of a college, and […]
Clare Hall is perhaps the most unusual-looking of the Cambridge colleges, and makes for a surprising visit. Designed more akin to a block of 1960s flats than a traditional college, Clare Hall nonetheless has an interesting history. Clare Hall was founded in 1966 directly by Clare College, as a college of advanced study that would […]
Founded in 1326, Clare College is the second oldest college in Cambridge. Clare College has perhaps the best location of all the Cambridge colleges: a site that spans both sides of the river, and is right in the city centre, off the pedestrianised and picturesque Trinity Lane. Set in the heart of the old University […]
I was lucky enough to pass St Catharine’s College on an open day in June. It happened to be a beautiful day as well. Many Cambridge colleges were open on this day to invite prospective students and the public in to look around, including nearby Peterhouse, Pembroke and Corpus. I knew I had to take […]
Regent’s Canal in London runs through the heart of the King’s Cross area of the city. I stumbled across the canal at the weekend, on my way to the Guardian offices. Although only a stone’s throw from the busy hub of King’s Cross station, the canal forms an amazing nine mile waterway through London. The […]
A remarkably friendly and open college, Pembroke is also beautiful, and very old. The delights of wandering its grounds – noticing another Gothic archway, a cat-flap cut into a modern door in a medieval building, or simply enjoying the gardens – do not diminish no matter how often you visit. This college lies directly on the […]
The University of Cambridge has 31 constituent colleges. This summer I am visiting them all, from medieval Peterhouse to modern Robinson. Click the links to read about each college. A few colleges already have posts, others are still to come – so please check back later for these ones. As I add posts for more […]
One of the newer colleges of the University of Cambridge, Darwin College nonetheless possesses old buildings, including this beautiful old granary on the banks of the River Cam. An interesting fusion of modern and old buildings, Darwin’s real delight lies in its pretty and secluded riverside gardens. The gardens are separated into alcoves that run […]
A Roman temple sits on a hill above the old city, on what would have been the eastern edge of Cordoba in Roman times. From there it would have been easily visible for miles around, and a striking symbol of imperial power. The temple’s construction was begun in approximately 41 AD and completed in 81 […]
We arrived in Cordoba by train. It was 34 degrees when we arrived so not as hot as Seville. The train had been spacious, clean and air-conditioned, and heading for Malaga. We were impressed as it was much nicer than British trains. We caught a bus from the train station and after a quick journey […]
The Alma mater of Charles Darwin and John Milton, Christ’s is an established older college in Cambridge. Christ’s was founded in 1505, by a woman, Lady Margaret Beaufort, which makes it something rather special. The Founder Margaret Beaufort was one of the richest women in medieval England, the mother of Henry Tudor (Henry VII), and […]
Seville was stop one on my tour of Andalucia, the southernmost region of Spain. We flew from Stansted, over the Pyrenees mountains, laced with snow. Further south the land became brown and dry, despite the presence of rivers and large lakes. There were fields and fields of orange trees, planted in orderly rows. Near Seville […]
The day after Easter Monday I took my camera and walked into the city. It was beautiful weather and felt like the first day of summer. I had just been to buy a new backpack for my upcoming trip to Spain. In the shop they just cut off the tags and I didn’t have a […]
While walking in the city yesterday evening, I stumbled across a light show at Senate House. Senate House lies in the old city centre of Cambridge. It stands between King’s and Caius, behind the market place and the University church of Great St Mary’s. The Senate House provides an important function of the University, as […]
I stumbled upon St Bride’s Church when wandering through narrow alleyways between Temple and Fleet Street. It is a church designed by Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St Paul’s. The interior of the church is strikingly beautiful. The floor is made of black and white squares of marble, surrounded by dark panelled wood. There […]
Gonville & Caius College is one of the oldest Cambridge colleges, founded in 1348. Gonville & Caius sundial, Senate House Passage I had been wanting to see the inside of the college for a while, having walked past the outside for years. So I went for a wander around one sunny lunchtime. There was a […]
Trinity Hall is a small, beautiful college, and one of the oldest in Cambridge. Occupying a site beside the river, nestled between Trinity College and Clare College, Trinity Hall is in the heart of the old university area. Its near neighbours include Gonville and Caius College, the University’s Old Schools, Clare College, Trinity College, and […]
Tarr Steps is an ancient packhorse bridge in Exmoor. Made of huge slabs of stone, no-one really knows how old it is, or how it was built, but estimates date back to 1000 BC. The National Park of Exmoor is full of rivers, forest and wildflowers, and spreads across Devon and Somerset. Wild ponies roam the […]
The Tour de France runs through Cambridge this year, on one of the stages of the race that is set in Britain. The Tour started in Yorkshire on Saturday 5th July, and today I went out to see the race as it passed through Cambridgeshire. Stage 3 of the Tour de France 2014 started off […]
A former Benedictine monastery founded in the 7th century, Bath Abbey is an impressive cathedral in the centre of Bath. Its full title is the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, but is more commonly known as Bath Abbey. Bath Abbey lies close to the Roman Baths, and when walking around […]