Cambridge and its university are inseparable—its ancient buildings are everywhere. The university comprises seventeen “colleges”—each a castle-like collection of buildings, towers, chapels, courtyards, and ancient libraries and dining halls, often referred to as the “dreaming spires.” Together, the colleges house 3,000 students, from a total town population of 40,000.
Legend says the university was founded in 300 B.C. by a Spanish prince named Cantaber, although written records begin in the 12th and 13th centuries. Students are principally male, although two women’s colleges, Girton and Newnham, were founded 20 years ago.
Hotels in Cambridge include the Hoop on Bridge Street and the Prince of Wales on Sidney Street, but the globetrotters may stay in college rooms, especially if one of them is an old Cambridge man or woman.
Trinity is the largest college in Cambridge (and in England), founded by Henry VIII in 1546, and boasts such alumni as Sir Isaac Newton and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It has three main courts, including the magnificent Great Court, and gardens backing onto the River Cam. Its famous library was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and contains Newton’s globe and telescope, his death mask, a statue of Lord Byron (another famous alumnus), and many rare books and manuscripts, including Milton’s first notes of Paradise Lost.
“May I be of assistance?”