Selwyn College

Selwyn College stands on six acres of land between Grange Road, West Road and Sidgwick Avenue in Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 as a memorial to George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand. Its main buildings are three stone and brick courts—Old Court, Ann’s Court and Cripps Court—with additional student hostels along nearby roads. The college has about sixty fellows and 110 non-academic staff supporting its academic work. In 2026 it ranked second on the Baxter Table, showing strong undergraduate performance in examinations. The college’s origins lie in donations and subscriptions gathered after Selwyn’s death in 1878. Arthur Lyttelton, its first master, came from a prominent Liberal family and secured support from William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone gave the college one of its chapel bells, still known as Gladstone’s Bell. The college’s royal charter declared its aim to provide affordable education with Christian training for those intending to serve as missionaries or the sons of clergymen. It began as a public hostel before gaining full collegiate status in 1958. Visitors enter through Old Court, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield in Victorian Gothic style. The chapel was built in 1895 and the dining hall in 1909, both in Ketton stone and red brick. The college’s grounds lie close to the Sidgwick Site, home to arts and humanities faculties. The original 6-acre site remains in college ownership, surrounded by university buildings and townhouses used as student lodgings.