Queens' College

Queens’ College stands on both banks of the River Cam in Cambridge, its medieval courts and modern gardens joined by the graceful Mathematical Bridge. The college was founded twice, first in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou and again in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville, which explains the apostrophe in its name. Old Court, built between 1448 and 1451, still shows the red-brick skin and cheaper clunch that kept costs down. Cloister Court, completed in the 1490s, links the oldest riverside buildings with the chapel and library. The President’s Lodge, dating from about 1460, is the oldest college residence on the Cam. The college’s alumni include Erasmus, who studied here in the early 16th century, and more recent figures such as Stephen Fry, Emily Maitlis and the Fields Medallist James Maynard. In 2024 the college celebrated its first Nobel Prize when Sir Demis Hassabis received the award for work in artificial intelligence. The college’s coat of arms blends the heraldry of Margaret of Anjou with a silver boar’s head badge recalling Richard III, who endowed the college in the 15th century. The Walnut Tree Building, finished in 1618, survives despite a serious fire in 1777. Visitors walk through Old Court’s brick ranges and step into the cloisters of Cloister Court, where medieval stone arches frame lawns and flowerbeds. The Mathematical Bridge, rebuilt several times, still carries foot traffic between the two sides of the college. Inside the War Memorial Library, once the original chapel, shelves hold books and quiet study spaces. The Old Library, dating from 1448, remains a scholarly retreat. Beyond the courts, the riverside paths offer views of willows and punts gliding past the college walls.