Churchill College, Cambridge

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Churchill College
University of Cambridge
Cmglee Cambridge Churchill College entrance.jpg
Entrance to Churchill College in June 2019
Churchill College, Cambridge arms.svg
Arms of Churchill College
Scarf colours: black, with two equally-spaced narrow stripes of brown edged with pink
Location Storey's Way, Cambridge CB3 0DS
Coordinates 52°12′47″N0°06′04″E / 52.213°N 0.101°E / 52.213; 0.101
AbbreviationCHU [1]
Motto in EnglishForward
Established1958 [a]
Named after Winston Churchill
Sister college Trinity College, Oxford
Master Sharon Peacock
Undergraduates504 (2022-23)
Postgraduates348 (2022-23)
Endowment £37.4m (2023) [2]
Visitor vacant [3]
Website www.chu.cam.ac.uk
JCR jcr.chu.cam.ac.uk
MCR mcr.chu.cam.ac.uk
Boat club www.churchillboatclub.org.uk
Map
Location map Cambridge.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Cambridge
Churchill Archives Centre and dining hall Cmglee Cambridge Churchill College archives centre hall.jpg
Churchill Archives Centre and dining hall
Main entrance and Dhruva Mistry sculpture Churchill College - geograph.org.uk - 38551.jpg
Main entrance and Dhruva Mistry sculpture

Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities.

Contents

In 1958, a trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its chairman of trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its Royal Charter and Statutes were approved by the Queen Elizabeth II, in August 1960. [4] It is situated on the outskirts of Cambridge, away from the traditional centre of the city, but close to the University's main new development zone (which now houses the Centre for Mathematical Sciences). It has 16 hectares (40 acres) of grounds, the largest area of the Cambridge colleges.

Churchill was the first formerly all-male college to decide to admit women, and was among three men's colleges to admit its first women students in 1972. [5] Within 15 years all others had followed suit. The college has a reputation for relative informality compared with other Cambridge colleges, and traditionally admits a larger proportion of its undergraduates from state schools.

The college motto is "Forward", which was taken from the final phrase of Winston Churchill's first speech to the House of Commons as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, known as the "blood, toil, tears and sweat" speech in which Churchill said, "Come, then, let us go forward together". [6]

History

In 1955, on holiday in Sicily soon after his resignation as prime minister, Winston Churchill discussed with Sir John Colville and Lord Cherwell the possibility of founding a new institution. Churchill had been impressed by the United States' Massachusetts Institute of Technology and wanted a British version, but the plans evolved into the more modest proposal of creating a science and technology-based college within the University of Cambridge. [7] Churchill wanted a mix of non-scientists to ensure a well-rounded education and environment for scholars and fellows. The college therefore admits students to read all subjects except land economy and theology & religious studies (though it is possible to switch to these subjects later).

The first postgraduate students arrived in October 1960, and the first undergraduates a year later. Full college status was received in 1966.

Following the Labour government's Representation of the People Act 1969, which reduced the voting age to 18 years, [8] under the guidance of professor Dick Tizard, in 1970 Churchill's student union, the Junior Common Room (JCR), inspired by the worldwide student democracy movement, led the National Union of Students (NUS) in taking the Cambridge Town Clerk to the High Court to overturn a 19th-century precedent that won students the right to vote in their university towns. [9]

Initially all students were male. Women were accepted as undergraduates in 1972, one of the first three previously all-male colleges to do so. [10]

The bias towards science and engineering remains as policy to the current day, with the statutes requiring approximately 70% science and technology students amongst its student intake each year. [11] The college statutes also stipulate that one third of the students of the college should be studying for postgraduate qualification.

Cambridge University Radio (later Cam FM) broadcast from Churchill College from 1979 until 2011.

On 27 October 2020, the college launched Churchill, Empire and Race, intended as a year-long programme looking critically at its founder. [12] However in June 2021, the programme was abruptly terminated following a dispute with the college’s leadership. [13]

Buildings and grounds

Main campus

Churchill College occupies a 50-acre campus located to the west of Cambridge city centre. It features extensive gardens and green spaces, along with three libraries, sports and performing arts facilities, and dedicated creative workshops. Most student accommodation is also situated on campus, with undergraduates guaranteed on-site housing for the full duration of their degree. [14]

The then-undeveloped site was purchased in 1958 for the express purposes of building a campus for the new College. Following an architectural competition in which 19 entrants competed, the firm of Richard Sheppard, Robson & Partners was selected from a shortlist of four, with Sir Winston Churchill himself among the panel of judges. Richard Sheppard's resolutely Modernist scheme for the campus, the hallmark of which is largely unadorned concrete, is softened by the extensive landscaped grounds in which the campus is situated. Building work was completed in 1968 with nine main residential courts and a central building consisting of the dining hall, buttery, combination rooms and offices. [15] The dining hall is the largest of any Cambridge college, measuring 22m square. It can cater for up to 430 guests in a formal dining arrangement. [16] As well as the main College buildings, Sheppard designed a separate group of flats, now known as the Sheppard flats, for the use of married graduate students. These are located to one side of the College grounds, a short distance from the main campus.

On 30 March 1993 the college's central buildings and chapel were all granted Grade II listed heritage status in recognition of their architectural significance. [17] [18]

Chapel

Interior of the chapel The chapel at Churchill College, Cambridge (geograph 1663320).jpg
Interior of the chapel

At the farthest end of the College grounds stands the Chapel. Its remote position is no accident, the result of an impassioned debate between the founding fellows of the College. To begin with, the fellows positively dismissed the requirement for a religious building within a modern, scientifically-oriented academic institution - particularly in a city filled with churches - a position supported by Sir Winston Churchill himself. [19]

However, when the plans for the College were unveiled in May 1958, the student newspaper Varsity declared the intended absence of a chapel to be "deplorable", igniting a wider public debate. Seeking to defuse the situation the fellows tentatively acknowledged that a chapel might be built at an indeterminate future point should funds become available. Responding to this new requirement, Richard Sheppard's original 1958 design for the college campus placed a chapel within the main building complex near the entrance to the college. [19]

The matter came to a head in 1960 when a donation was made by Lord Beaumont of Whitley, which was intended to cover the entire cost of building a chapel for the College, thereby removing one of the principal objections that funds could be better spent elsewhere. The majority of fellows voted in favour of accepting Lord Beaumont’s gift. The move infuriated no one more than Francis Crick, who resigned as a fellow of the College in 1961 in direct response. Crick claimed that he had agreed to become a fellow on the basis that no chapel would be placed at the College. Churchill wrote to Crick saying that no-one need enter the chapel unless they wished to do so, and therefore it did not need to be a problem. Crick replied with a letter accompanied by a cheque for 10 guineas saying that, if that were the case, the enclosed money should be used for the establishment of a brothel. [20] [21] [22]

Eventually a compromise was reached: an interdenominational chapel would be sited just to the west of Sheppard Flats, 500 yards from the main campus, and funded and managed separately from the College itself, being tactfully referred to as "the Chapel at Churchill College" rather than "the Chapel of Churchill College". Ground was broken in July 1966 and building was completed in October 1967. The chimney of the heating system at the front of the college substitutes visually for the missing chapel tower envisaged in Sheppard’s original plan. [19]

Sheppard’s design for the Chapel has been described as a modern interpretation of a Byzantine basilica, a Greek cross marked out in concrete beams and exposed brick. Externally, the dominant features are the four massive triangular concrete pillars that rise from the centre. A small bell turret over the entrance carries the bell from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, which had been launched in 1953 by Clementine Churchill. [19]

Inside, the chapel is dark and shielded from the sight and sound of the outside world. The concrete frame is exposed, filled with brick. Eight narrow vertical slit windows contain stained glass designed by John Piper and manufactured by Patrick Reyntiens. Piper was commissioned in 1967 and the windows were unveiled in 1970 as a memorial to Sir John Cockcroft. Their shafts of blue, mauve, gold, and green light are entirely abstract, though the theme is Let there be light (Genesis 1:3). At the east: humanity's search for truth and God's revelation. At the west: humanity's industry and God's creativity. At the north: humanity's search for beauty and God's response. At the south: humanity's search for love and God's response. [19]

Most of the fittings stand independently, creating a flexible space conducive to the divergent liturgical needs of an interdenominational building. Ornament is minimal. An abstract three-dimensional hanging cross, designed by Keith Thyssen, and a set of four candlesticks, were given by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. The chairs were commissioned from Sir Gordon Russell and model those he designed for Coventry Cathedral. The lecterns were designed by Sheppard himself, while the font is by Peter Sellwood. [19]

Churchill Archives Centre

In 1974, an extension to the library building was added to house the Churchill Archives Centre. Its original purpose was to provide a home to Sir Winston Churchill's papers, however since then it has been endowed with papers from other political figures including former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, as well as former Leader of the Opposition Neil Kinnock, and those of eminent scientists and engineers including Reginald Victor Jones, Rosalind Franklin and Sir Frank Whittle. [23]

Møller Institute

The Moller Institute 8118899-exterior3-max.jpg
The Møller Institute

The Møller Centre for Continuing Education was established at Churchill College in 1992 to bring together education and commerce. It was funded by a donation from the Møller Foundation. The building, designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsen, was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Ingrid of Denmark. The defining architectural feature of the dedicated residential executive training and conference centre is a large three-storey octagonal tower. [24] In January 2018, the facility was granted institute status, and its name was officially changed to the Møller Institute. [25]

Cowan Court

Cowan Court Cowan Court, Churchill College - geograph.org.uk - 7818478.jpg
Cowan Court

In 2016, Cowan Court - a 68-room hall of residence - was completed, the first new court to be built at Churchill College since completion of the original campus. [26] It was named after Michael Cowan, an alumnus and long-time supporter of the College, who made a significant donation towards the funding of the building. [27] Designed by 6a architects, Cowan Court was named as one of the top 10 buildings of 2016 by the Guardian's architecture and design critic Oliver Wainwright. [26] [28] In 2017 it won a RIBA East Award. [29]

Artworks and sculptures

Hepworth's Four-Square (Walk Through) (1966) is large enough for many students to work and play on - which they are allowed to do Churchill College, Hepworth.jpg
Hepworth's Four-Square (Walk Through) (1966) is large enough for many students to work and play on – which they are allowed to do
Beast Alerted 1, by British sculptor Lynn Chadwick Lynn Chadwick Geograph-685492-by-Fractal-Angel.jpg
Beast Alerted 1, by British sculptor Lynn Chadwick

The college contains many examples of modern artwork including: [30]

There are also works by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Bridget Riley, Patrick Caulfield, Sir Peter Blake, and Daphne Hardy Henrion.

Hepworth's Four-Square (Walk Through) stands at the West Door, the west exit of the main college complex. In 1968, it replaced an earlier Hepworth sculpture, Squares with Two Circles (BH 347) which had been sold to a private collector. [34] Two sculptures by Nigel Hall stand in front of the main gate of the college: The Now (1999) and Southern Shade I (2010). [35] Mistry's Diagram of an Object (Second state) used to be found at the front of college, but is now located next to the chapel at the far end of the college. Sir Anthony Caro's Forum used to stand near the front gate of the college but it was removed in 2004 and replaced in 2007 by Lynn Chadwick's Beast Alerted 1. [36]

Student life

The student population is divided into two common rooms: the Junior Common Room (JCR) and Middle Common Room (MCR). The former contains undergraduates and the latter postgraduates (known as advanced students). Fourth year undergraduates studying towards their Masters may choose to be in either. [37] These student bodies organise various academic and social events as well as handling issues regarding welfare. The college funds sports clubs and societies which provide entertainment for students.

Students relaxing on 'The Hepworth' or 'Babs' following a formal Students on Hepworth, Churchill College.jpg
Students relaxing on 'The Hepworth' or 'Babs' following a formal

Social events

Every two weeks of the Michaelmas and Lent terms, and twice in Easter term, Churchill is host to Pav, a music event unusual for Cambridge events in that it is free and open to all university members. The name Pav originates from the pavilion buildings of the college where the event was originally held. Since 1992, Pav has been held in the Buttery, the main bar area.

In the early years of the college's foundation, the college held a ball in May Week, in common with many older colleges. However, more recently Churchill has held a Spring Ball every February, close to Valentine's Day. The Ball has hosted a number of upcoming bands, such as The Wombats (2007) and The Noisettes (2008).

During May Week the JCR organise a free garden party. The event hosts performances from local bands and musicians.

Students of the College run Churchill Casino, [38] a Cambridge-based enterprise which provides professional casinos at various social events. Churchill Casino is frequently hired for Cambridge May Balls as well as balls at the University of Oxford and corporate events throughout the country. Profits have been donated back towards the college and to local charities. [39]

The MCR has its own reserved area, the Sandy Ashmore Room, where students may socialise. This incorporates a student-run bar known as the Vicious Penguin. [40] The MCR organises a range of activities including an annual conference, the Conference on Everything, and hosts termly Guest Nights. [41] The Conference on Everything gives students an opportunity to present their own research as well as featuring talks from distinguished speakers including Salah Al-Shaikhly, the Iraqi ambassador to the United Kingdom; Michael Green, Lucasian Professor and pioneer of string theory; Julian Huppert, scientist and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cambridge; David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk, and Nicholas Bingham, Senior Investigator at Imperial College London and Visiting Professor of Mathematics at the London School of Economics. [42]

Sport

Churchill College Boat Club men's first VIII rowing past their boathouse on the River Cam. The club is noted for its pink boats. Churchill College Boat Club Fairairns M1.JPG
Churchill College Boat Club men's first VIII rowing past their boathouse on the River Cam. The club is noted for its pink boats.

With playing fields on site, unlike many other colleges, sport is an integral part of the college. As well as football pitches, a cricket pitch and others, the facilities include a gym, and tennis and squash courts.

Churchill College Football Club (CCFC) were the first college team to retain the Cambridge University Amateur Football League Division 1 title, winning it in 2005–06 and 2006–07. In the 2006–2007 season they also reached the final of Cuppers.[ citation needed ]

The college also has a successful boat club (Churchill College Boat Club) which in 2013 won the Pegasus Cup [43] (This trophy is awarded annually to the most successful college boat club competing in the Cambridge May Bumping Races [44] ). In 2015, Churchill College Boat Club made history by being the first boat club at the university to win both the Pegasus Cup and Marconi Cup (This award is present to the most successful college boat club in the Lent Bumps) in the same year.

Traditions

Churchill's Dining Hall is the largest in Cambridge. Dining Hall, Churchill 2005.jpg
Churchill's Dining Hall is the largest in Cambridge.

Churchill is a relatively young college, and prides itself on being modern and forward looking. It has relatively few traditions. Informal hall (cafeteria-style dining period) was introduced in 1971, as an alternative to formal hall (fixed time, waiter service, all diners wearing gowns), and students are not required to wear gowns at formal halls, [45] with exception of certain college feasts.

In special formal meals such as Matriculation Dinner or Scholars' Feast the Master usually raises a toast, first to "The King" and then to "Sir Winston". In other formal halls this is usually made by a senior student once the fellows have left. This latter tradition started in the early 2000s with the students customarily toasting in the reverse order: "Sir Winston", followed by "The Queen".

People associated with the college

Masters

The Mastership of Churchill College is a Crown appointment. To date the college has had eight masters:

NameTerm of officeNotes
Sir John Cockcroft 1959–1967 Nobel Laureate in Physics, who split the atom.
Sir William Hawthorne 1968–1983Engineer who helped develop the jet engine.
Sir Hermann Bondi 1983–1990Cosmologist who helped develop the Steady State theory of the universe.
Lord Broers 1990–1996Nanotechnologist; later Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1996-2003).
Sir John Boyd 1996–2006Formerly British ambassador to Japan (1992–1996).
Sir David Wallace 2006 [46] –2014Formerly Vice-chancellor of Loughborough University (1994–2005); Director of the Newton Institute (2006–2011).
Dame Athene Donald 2014 [47] –2024Professor of experimental physics at the Cavendish Laboratory. [48]
Sharon Peacock 2024– [49] Professor of Public Health and Microbiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge

The appointment of microbiologist Professor Sharon Peacock CBE FMedSci MRCP as 8th Master, with effect from October 2024, was announced in October 2023. [50]

Notable fellows

See also Category:Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge

Nobel laureates

Francis Crick Francis Crick crop.jpg
Francis Crick

Churchill College counts 32 Nobel Prize winners amongst its Fellowship, with nine awards in Physics, eight in Physiology/Medicine, seven in Economics, and four each in Chemistry and Literature. [51]

Notable alumni

See also Category:Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge

Liberal Democrat Peer Baroness Brinton Sal Brinton at Brighton 2013.jpg
Liberal Democrat Peer Baroness Brinton
Inventor of C++ Bjarne Stroustrup Bjarne-stroustrup (cropped).jpg
Inventor of C++ Bjarne Stroustrup

See also

References

  1. 1966 - Date of recognition by the university as a constituent college.
  1. University of Cambridge (6 March 2019). "Notice by the Editor". Cambridge University Reporter . 149 (Special No 5): 1. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  2. "Annual Report and Accounts 2023" (PDF). Churchill College, Cambridge. p. 24. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  3. Churchill College, Cambridge (1 January 2013). "Statutes" (PDF). chu.cam.ac.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  4. "Churchill College, Cambridge - Publication Scheme" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  5. "Dick Tizard". The Independent. 9 October 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  6. "Churchill College Hospitality - About Churchill College" . Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  7. Walsh, James Jackson (1998). "Postgraduate Technological Education in Britain: Events Leading to the Establishment of Churchill College, Cambridge, 1950-1958". Minerva. 36 (2): 147–177. doi:10.1023/A:1004396018945. S2CID   141439399.
  8. Loughran, Thomas; Mycock, Andrew; Tonge, Jonathan (3 April 2021). "A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds" . Contemporary British History. 35 (2): 284–313. doi:10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589. ISSN   1361-9462. S2CID   233956982.
  9. Stephen D. Fisher & Nick Hillman. "Do students swing elections? Registration, turnout and voting behaviour among full-time students" (PDF). HEPI. p. 4.
  10. "Five decades after Cambridge colleges went co-ed, too little has changed". Financial Times. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  11. "Churchill College Statutes (PDF)" (PDF). 1 January 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  12. Churchill, Empire and Race: Opening the Conversation Churchill College
  13. Adams, Richard (17 June 2021). "Cambridge college ends critical examination of founder Winston Churchill". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  14. "Campus and facilities". Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  15. "The Architecture of Churchill College". Churchill Archives Centre. Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  16. "Dining Hall". Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Churchill College. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  17. "CHAPEL, CHURCHILL COLLEGE, Non Civil Parish - 1331925 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  18. "CENTRAL BUILDINGS CHURCHILL COLLEGE, Non Civil Parish - 1227706 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goldie, Mark (2024). "Storm over a chapel: a history of the chapel at Churchill College Cambridge" (PDF). Churchill College Chapel / Churchill College, Cambridge. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  20. McKie, Robin (17 September 2006). "Observer review: Francis Crick by Matt Ridley". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  21. Highfield, Roger (20 March 2003). "Do our genes reveal the hand of God?". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  22. "The Francis Crick Papers: Biographical Information". Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  23. "Churchill Archive Centre" . Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  24. "About the Møller Institute". Møller Institute. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  25. Brackley, Paul (27 December 2019). "Møller Institute at Churchill College unveils new combined brand". Cambridge Independent. Iliffe Media. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  26. 1 2 "Cowan Court". 6a Architects. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  27. "Michael Cowan". Churchill College, Cambridge. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  28. Wainwright, Oliver (5 December 2016). "Top 10 buildings of 2016". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  29. "RIBA East Awards 2017". RIBA Journal. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  30. "Churchill College Sculpture Guide" (PDF). 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  31. "Dhruva Mistry". Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  32. "Geograph:: Spiral, Michael Gillespie, 1991 (C) Fractal Angel". Geograph.org. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  33. Barry Phipps (2 September 2016). "From the Collection: Past, Present, Future (2010) by Geoffrey Clarke" . Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  34. Heidi Eggington (13 January 2017). "'The Sun, Moon & Stars': Barbara Hepworth at Churchill College" . Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  35. Barry Phipps (27 February 2015). "From the Collection: The Now by Nigel Hall RA" . Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  36. "KölnSkulptur 1 1997-1999, Anthony Caro" . Retrieved 14 June 2020. "University of Cambridge, Tate too: Pedigree sculpture comes to Cambridge". 17 January 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  37. "Churchill MCR: What is an Advanced Student?". Churchill College MCR. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  38. "Churchill Casino" . Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  39. "Churchill Casino donates to Cam-mind at Churchill College event on 20th March 2012". Cam-mind News. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  40. "Churchill MCR: MCR Bar". Churchill College MCR. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  41. "Churchill MCR: Activities & Calendar". Churchill College MCR. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  42. "Churchill MCR: Conference on Everything". Churchill College MCR. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  43. "Pegasus Cup 2013 — The Milton Brewery, Cambridge Ltd". The Milton Brewery, Cambridge Ltd. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  44. "Pegasus Cup - CUCBC" . Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  45. "Churchill College MCR Frequently Asked Questions" . Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  46. "Appointment of Master of Churchill College". Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  47. "Appointment of Next Master of Churchill College". Churchill College News. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  48. Donald, A.; Jacobsen, S.D. (28 June 2013). "Dr. Athene Donald: Experimental Physicist, University of Cambridge". In-Sight (2.A): 85–97.
  49. "Churchill College announces 8th Master". 10 October 2023.
  50. "Churchill College announces 8th Master". chu.cam.ac.uk. Churchill College. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  51. "Nobel Prize winners - Churchill College". Churchill College. Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Retrieved 29 September 2025.