Queens’ is the earliest example of a complete purpose-designed college in Cambridge. The original building, which now constitutes Old Court, incorporates all necessary components of a medieval college in a single building: residences, dining hall, kitchens, library, and chapel. There are, of course, older colleges, some having absorbed older non-collegiate buildings, and older collegiate buildings, but none of those were built as a complete college from the outset. Unlike many colleges, which in the 18th century clad their buildings in classical stone and transformed their Gothic windows into rectangular sash windows, Queens’ could not afford to, therefore leaving Old Court as one of the best-preserved medieval assemblages in the city. Today, Queens' College has some of the most recognisable buildings in Cambridge. It combines
medieval architecture and
modern architecture in extensive gardens. It is one of two Cambridge colleges whose core buildings straddle the
River Cam (the other being
St John's). The two halves are joined across the river by the
Mathematical Bridge. The two banks are colloquially referred to as the "light side" and the "dark side". Queens' College is located to the south of the centre of the city. It is the second southernmost of the colleges on the banks of the River Cam, primarily on the east bank.
Cloister Court The President's Lodge of Queens' is the oldest building on the river at Cambridge (). The President's Lodge is part of Cloister Court: the Cloister walks were erected in the 1490s to connect the Old Court of 1448/9 with the riverside buildings of the 1460s, thus forming the court now known as Cloister Court. Essex Building, in the corner of the court, was erected 1756–60, named after its builder,
James Essex the Younger (1722–1784), a local craftsman who had earlier erected the Mathematical Bridge.
Old Court Old Court was built between 1448 and 1451. Stylistic features suggest that this was designed by and built under the direction of the master mason
Reginald Ely, who was also at the same time erecting the original Old Court of King's College (now part of the University Old Schools opposite Clare College), and the start of
King's College Chapel. Whereas King's was built using very expensive stone, Queens' Old Court was made using cheaper
clunch with a red brick skin. Queens' was finished within two years, whereas King's Old Court was never finished, and the chapel took nearly a century to build. The War Memorial Library is the present student library. The War Memorial Library was formerly the original chapel, part of Old Court. It was named in honour of Queens' College alumni and members who died in service in the Second World War. Before the 1940s, the student library was the present Old Library.
Old Library The Old Library was built in 1448, part of Old Court, and situated between the President's Lodge and the original chapel. It is one of the earliest purpose-built libraries in Cambridge. It houses a collection of nearly 20,000 manuscripts and printed books. It is especially notable because nearly all printed books remain in their original bindings, because Queens' has never been wealthy enough to afford re-binding all the books in a uniform manner, as was the fashion in the 18th century. It is also notable because it contains the earliest English
celestial globes, owned once by Queens' fellow of mathematics
Sir Thomas Smith (1513–1577), and because its medieval
lecterns were refashioned into bookshelves, still present today.
Walnut Tree Court Walnut Tree Court was erected 1616–18. Walnut Tree Building on the east side of the court dates from around 1617 and was the work of the architects Gilbert Wragge and Henry Mason at a cost of £886.9s. Only the ground floor of the original construction remains after a fire in 1777, so it was rebuilt from the first floor upwards between 1778 and 1782, and battlements were added to it in 1823. This court was formerly the site of a Carmelite friary,
Cambridge Whitefriars, founded in 1292, but is now the location of the college chapel and various fellows' and students' rooms. The walnut tree in the court stands on the line of a former wall of the friary, and was a replacement of an older one in the same position after which the court was named.
College Chapel The college chapel in Walnut Tree Court was designed by
George Frederick Bodley in 1886, built by
Rattee and Kett and consecrated in 1891. It included new stained glass by
C.E. Kempe. Today's chapel follows the traditional college chapel form of an aisle-less nave with rows of pews on either side, following the plan of monasteries, reflecting the origins of many colleges as a place for training priests for the ministry. The
triptych of paintings on the altarpiece panel are late-15th-century
Netherlandish, and are attributed to the '
Master of the View of Saint Gudula'. They depict, from left to right, the
Agony in the Garden of
Gethsemane, the
Resurrection of Jesus and
Christ's Appearance to the Disciples and may originally have been part of a set of five paintings.
Friar's Court The college experienced a growth in student numbers during the 19th century, bringing with it the need for additional student accommodation. The President's second garden was taken as the site for new student accommodation called Friars' Building, designed by W. M. Fawcett and built in 1886. The building, named after the
Cambridge Whitefriars, accommodates 52 students and fellows. Friars' Building is flanked to the East by the Dokett Building. Dokett Building was designed by
Cecil Greenwood Hare and built in 1912 from thin red Daneshill brick with Corsham stone dressings and mullioned windows. It stands on the former site of
almshouses which were maintained by benefaction from a former President of the college
Andrew Dokett. The almshouses were demolished in 1911 to make way for the new building. On demolition of the almshouses, a fund was made available for payment of pensions – always to eight women — in accordance with the will of Dokett. In 2014, Dokett Building underwent major restorations, with the majority of the bricks in the building being replaced and the rooms being reconfigured. In 2019, railings were restored to the Queens' Lane elevation of Dokett Building. These railings were based on the original design of the railings outside Dokett Building in 1912, but at a lowered height to preserve sightlines from groundfloor windows. This building is largely occupied by second and third years, along with some fellows. The Erasmus Building completes Friar's Court on the West. It was designed by
Sir Basil Spence and erected in 1959, and is notable for being the first college building on
the Backs to be designed in the
Modernist tradition. The modern design of the building generated some controversy and the project encountered strong resistance at the time. It was officially opened by
the Queen Mother in June 1961. The lawn in front includes a crown bowling green laid out in the 16th century.
Cripps Court Cripps Court, incorporating
Lyon Court (named after the Queen Mother), was designed by Sir
Philip Powell of Powell & Moya and built in stages between 1972 and 1988. It was described by
Stephen Gardiner as "easily the best piece of modern architecture by a British architect anywhere." In
brutalist style it houses a bar and gymnasium with squash courts, 171 student bedrooms, three fellows' flats, a solarium, dining hall and kitchens, various function rooms, a large multipurpose auditorium (The Fitzpatrick Hall) and three combination rooms (Junior for undergraduate students, Middle for postgraduates, and Senior for fellows). It was the benefaction of the
Cripps Foundation and the largest building erected by the college. A fourth floor was added in 2007, providing student accommodation and fellows' offices.
Fisher Building Named after
St John Fisher, this was erected in 1936 and designed by
G. C. Drinkwater. It continued the Queens' tradition of red brick. The window frames are of teak, and all internal woodwork is oak. It was the first student accommodation in Queens' to lie west of the river and was the first building in Queens' to have bathrooms and toilets on the staircase landings close to the student rooms. These were so obvious that it prompted the comment that the building "seemed to have been designed by a sanitary engineer".
The Mathematical Bridge The
Mathematical Bridge (officially named
the Wooden Bridge) crosses the
River Cam and connects the older half of the college (affectionately referred to by students as the "dark side") with the newer western half (the "light side", officially known as "The Island"). It is part of one of the most photographed views in Cambridge; the typical photo being taken from the nearby
Silver Street Bridge. Popular fable has it that the bridge was designed and built by
Sir Isaac Newton without the use of nuts or bolts, and at some point in the past students or fellows attempted to take the bridge apart and put it back together. The myth continues that the over-ambitious engineers were unable to match Newton's feat of engineering, and had to resort to fastening the bridge by nuts and bolts. That, purportedly, is why nuts and bolts can be seen in the bridge today. This story is false: the bridge was built of oak in 1749 by James Essex the Younger (1722–1784) to the design of the master carpenter
William Etheridge (1709–1776), 22 years after Newton died. The bridge was repaired in 1866 due to decay, and had to be completely rebuilt in 1905. The rebuild was to the same design but made from teak, and the stepped walkway was made sloped for improved wheelchair access. A handrail was added on one side to help
the Queen Mother cross the bridge on her visits to the college. The boltheads are more visible in the post-1905 bridge, which may have given rise to the failed reassembly myth.
Gallery File:Old_Hall_ceiling_-_Queens'_College.jpg|Ceiling of the old hall File:Old Court in the snow..JPG|Old Court in the snow File:Queen' College sundial - geograph.co.uk 3292693.jpg|Sundial in Old Court File:Queens College Clock.jpg|Bell tower and clock above the War Memorial Library File:Queens' college.jpg|Cloister Court File:Queens College Cambridge chapel walnut tree court night.jpg|Chapel and Walnut Tree Court File:Silver Street - geograph.org.uk - 877805.jpg|Silver Street with Queens' on the left File:Queens'_Green,_Cambridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3996765.jpg|Queens' Green File:Essex Building - Queens' College - geograph.org.uk - 712913.jpg|Essex Building as viewed from Silver Street File:Queens College Cambridge.jpg|Lyon Court File:Queens'_College_Old_Library,_main_view.jpg|The Old Library File:Walnut_Tree_Court,_Queens'_College,_Cambridge.jpg|Walnut Tree Building, erected 1616–19 File:Cripps_Court,_Queens'_College,_Cambridge.jpg|Cripps Court == Academic profile ==