It had been a long journey to Cambridge, but after a good night’s rest and a full English breakfast, it was time to explore and find The University. The receptionist did not seem to know exactly where it was; ‘If you go to the top of the street and turn left then you are there’. But where? Where precisely was The University? No one seemed to know. However that is not exactly surprising because there is no single entity which can be called The University. Maybe the nearest thing to The University is a small group of buildings, comprising the Senate House, the Old Library and the Old Schools.
So what is this nebulous thing called The University? Perhaps it could best be described as a corporation that can confer degrees and, if necessary, take disciplinary action. In the early 13th century the first young students arrived in Cambridge where they had to fend for themselves. They stayed, at their own cost, in lodgings, and were taught by any master who could raise a sufficient number of pupils. As the number of students increased, hostels, lodging houses under the care of a master, became established. So the concept grew and by 1280 the students occupied 34 hostels and several inns.
There followed immediately a very significant development, namely the arrival of colleges, the first being Peterhouse founded in 1284. Initially they were intended for a master and fellows, the teachers; students still fended for themselves in hostels. However this was to change and by the early-seventeenth century, there were no hostels and students were accommodated in their own college. Today there are 31 recognised colleges, the newest being founded in 1980. They act in a sense like independent bodies within a corporation, and ruled by their own charters.
Now just imagine the 31 colleges whose buildings replaced the ancient hostels and inns and which span some seven and a quarter centuries. Who was responsible for their foundation? Wonder about their architecture; it is said that in the space of a mile there are more styles of architecture than anywhere else in Europe. Reflect on the thousands of people who have passed through these college gates; Kings, Queens, Noblemen, Churchmen, undergraduates, graduates, scholars, doctors, and professors. The list is endless. Think about the skills, the discoveries, the inventions and ponder on the learned discussions of eminent men and women that have taken place in college rooms over the centuries. Remember also the sports, the pranks, and the fun that has been had. All of these, and more, make up The University of Cambridge.
