University of Cambridge legends

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

There are a number of popular legends associated with Cambridge University and its 800 year-old history, often recounted by punt guides to tourists while cruising the River Cam. Some are true, some contain elements of truth, and others are somewhat more fabricated. The myths and legends listed below represent a select few of the traditions and stories associated with Cambridge.

Contents

Mathematical Bridge

The Mathematical Bridge Mathematicians bridge cambridge large.jpg
The Mathematical Bridge

One famous narrative relates to Queens' College's wooden footbridge known as the Mathematical Bridge. The story usually goes as follows: constructed by Sir Isaac Newton, it held itself together without any bolts or screws. Years later, inquisitive students took it apart in order to see how it fitted together and the deconstructers were unable to reassemble it without bolts. However the bridge was erected 22 years after Newton's death and always used pins and screws at the joints (although the current version of the bridge does use more visible nuts and bolts). [1]

A variation on this tale has the bridge being dismantled by the college's Fellows due to the onset of World War II.

Clare College Bridge

Clare Bridge's missing wedge Clare Bridge - ball with missing wedge.jpg
Clare Bridge's missing wedge

Other tales involve Clare College Bridge, built 1639–40 [2] which is adorned with spherical stone ornaments. One of these has a quarter sphere wedge removed from the back, a feature pointed out on almost all tours over the bridge. Three tales explaining this are:

  1. The bridge's builder was not paid in full due to the college's dissatisfaction with its construction. The builder thus took his revenge by committing a small act of petty vandalism.
  2. A college fellow removed the quarter-sphere to ensure another fellow could not win a bet with him as to how many spheres there are on the bridge.
  3. The sphere was deliberately incomplete so that Clare College could avoid paying a "bridge tax"; an unfinished bridge did not count.

In reality, the reason for the missing wedge is due to a weathered repair. As a result of corrosion of the sphere's fixing to the bridge, it became loose. It was removed, and a segment cut out to allow access to the fixing, set in place with cement, and the segment replaced. It was orientated with the cut facing outward so that it would be least noticeable to people crossing the bridge. Through subsequent weathering of the cement, the segment detached from the rest of the sphere, and presumably fell into the river. On close examination, it can be seen that a number of the other spheres have had similar repairs carried out, but their cut segments have remained attached.[ citation needed ]

Bridge of Sighs

On two separate occasions, students have pulled the prank of dangling a car under the Bridge of Sighs at St John's. In the first incident (in 1963), a 1928 Austin Seven was punted down the river using four punts that had been lashed together then hoisted up under the bridge using ropes. The second incident (in 1968) involved a Reliant Regal (a three-wheeled car) being dangled under the bridge; it was cut down by the fire brigade in the morning. [3] In neither case was the bridge damaged.

The Night Climbers of Cambridge

The Night Climbers of Cambridge was a book written under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith" about nocturnal climbing on the colleges and town buildings of Cambridge, England, in the 1930s. The book remains popular among students. It is often credited with popularising and inspiring the first generation of urban exploring and night climbing.

A new authorised edition of The Night Climbers of Cambridge ( ISBN   978-1909349551) was published on 26 October 2007 by Oleander Press, Cambridge, to mark the 70th anniversary of the original edition. The new edition was updated and has proved popular among students and urban explorers.[ citation needed ]

Car on the Senate House roof

The story of the Austin Seven delivery van that ended up on the apex of the Senate House is not fictitious. The Caius College website recounts how, on 8 June 1958, this vehicle really did go "up in the world". The prank team comprised Peter Davey (organiser), Cyril Pritchett, David Fowler and 9 others. [4]

Objects on King's College chapel

King's College Chapel Britain in the First World War 1914-1918 Q70811.jpg
King's College Chapel

One story tells of a couple of students with a keen interest in climbing, who decided to scale the walls of King's College chapel after hours and place a roadcone (or similar object) atop one of the spires. On discovering the object the next morning, the college are said to have called in a building company to erect scaffolding in order to remove the offending object. However, the erection of the scaffolding could not be completed before dusk, and so the adventurous students ascended the chapel the next night and moved the roadcone to the opposite end of the chapel's roof, thus rendering the half-erect scaffolding useless. Parts of these attempts are described in The Night Climbers of Cambridge .

In 2002, a single toilet seat placed by a student on one of the spires remained there, eventually being retrieved by a steeplejack. [5]

In late November 2009 Santa hats were placed on each of the four spires of the Chapel overnight. [6] The College had these removed by a professional steeplejack at great expense. [7]

Trinity College's riches

As the wealthiest of all Oxbridge colleges, Trinity College is naturally the subject of many rumours and popular urban legends. The college is sometimes suggested to be the second, third or fourth wealthiest landowner in the UK (or in England) — after the Crown Estate, the National Trust and the Church of England. A variant of this legend is repeated in the Tom Sharpe novel Porterhouse Blue . In 2005, it was reported that the college takes in £20 million plus per year in rent from its properties. [8] In comparison, the National Trust received about £42.6 million in rental income from its properties in 2005–2006. [9]

A second legend is that it is possible to walk from Cambridge to Oxford solely on land owned by Trinity.[ citation needed ] Jeremy Fairbrother, the college's senior bursar in 2005, has said this belief is incorrect. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing</span> Activity to ascend a steep object

Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains to small boulders. Climbing is done for locomotion, sporting recreation, for competition, and is also done in trades that rely on ascension, such as construction and military operations. Climbing is done indoors and outdoors, on natural surfaces, and on artificial surfaces

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity College, Cambridge</span> Constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any Oxbridge college. It is the largest Oxbridge college measured by the number of undergraduates (730). Trinity performs exceptionally as measured by the Tompkins Table, coming top from 2011 to 2017, and regaining the position in 2024. Trinity was the top-performing college for the 2020–21 undergraduate exams, obtaining the highest percentage of good honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge, in England

St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The aims of the college, as specified by its statutes, are the promotion of education, religion, learning and research. It is one of the largest Oxbridge colleges in terms of student numbers. For 2022, St John's was ranked 6th of 29 colleges in the Tompkins Table with over 35 per cent of its students earning first-class honours. It is the second wealthiest college in Oxford and Cambridge, after its neighbour Trinity College, Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge

Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded in 1338 as Clare Hall by an endowment from Elizabeth de Clare, and took on its current name in 1856. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on the Backs. It is a registered charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional climbing</span> Type of rock climbing

Traditional climbing is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places the protection equipment while ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber then removes the protection equipment as they climb the route. Traditional climbing differs from sport climbing where the protection equipment is pre-drilled into the rock in the form of bolts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi College, Cambridge</span> College of the University of Cambridge, founded 1352

Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century to the early 19th century it was also commonly known as St Benet's College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens' College, Cambridge</span> College of University of Cambridge

Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the River Cam with the Mathematical Bridge and Silver Street connecting the two sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildering</span> Act of climbing buildings

Buildering describes the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering", sometimes misspelled bildering, combines the word building with the climbing term bouldering. If done without ropes or protection far off the ground, buildering is extremely dangerous. It is often practiced outside legal bounds, and is thus practiced mostly at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of climbing terms</span> For rock climbing and mountaineering

Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing, mountaineering, and to ice climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge of Sighs, Cambridge</span> Bridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom

The Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge, England is a stone covered bridge at St John's College, Cambridge. It was built in 1831 and crosses the River Cam between the college's Third Court and New Court. The architect was Henry Hutchinson. It is named after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, although they have little architecturally in common beyond the fact that they are both covered bridges with arched bases. The bridge, a Grade I listed building, is a Cambridge attraction and Queen Victoria is said to have loved it more than any other spot in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Dibnah</span> English steeplejack, mechanic and television personality

Frederick Travis Dibnah,, was an English steeplejack and television personality. Having a keen interest in mechanical engineering, he described himself as a "backstreet mechanic."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeplejack</span> Construction worker specialising in the exteriors of tall buildings

A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales buildings, chimneys, and church steeples to carry out repairs or maintenance.

<i>The Night Climbers of Cambridge</i> 1930s book

The Night Climbers of Cambridge is a book, written under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith", about nocturnal climbing on the colleges and town buildings of Cambridge, England, in the 1930s. The book remains popular among Cambridge University students and the 1930s and 1950s editions can be hard to find. It is often credited with popularising and inspiring the first generation of urban explorers and night climbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senate House, Cambridge</span> Building at the University of Cambridge

The Senate House is a 1720s building of the University of Cambridge in England, used formerly for meetings of its senate and now mainly for graduation ceremonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Practical joke</span> Mischievous trick played on someone

A practical joke or prank is a trick played on people, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort. The perpetrator of a practical joke is called a "practical joker" or "prankster". Other terms for practical jokes include gag, rib, jape, or shenanigan. Some countries in western nations make it tradition to carry out pranks on April Fools' Day and Mischief Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Wollaston</span>

Alexander Frederick Richmond Wollaston was an English medical doctor, ornithologist, botanist, climber and explorer. After qualifying as a surgeon in 1903, Wollaston decided to spend his life on exploration and natural history, travelling extensively; he wrote books about his travels and work, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1907. As a tutor at King's College, Cambridge, he was shot dead by a deranged student.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge</span> Constituent college of the University of Cambridge

Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius, is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of the wealthiest. In 1557, it was refounded by John Caius, an alumnus and English physician.

Night climbing is a term used, principally at the Oxford and Cambridge universities in England, to describe the sport of climbing up the walls of colleges and public buildings, and exploring the rooftops. This activity is frowned on by college authorities, so it is mainly done under cover of darkness, to avoid detection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lama</span> Austrian rock climber and mountaineer (1990–2019)

David Lama was an Austrian rock climber and alpinist. He won the European Championship in competition bouldering in 2007 and the European Championship in competition lead climbing in 2006. He is known for his first free ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre. In 2018, in a solo expedition, he was the first to reach the summit of Lunag Ri in the Himalayas. In 2019, he was posthumously honoured with a Piolet d'Or for this first ascent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Night Climbers of Oxford</span>

The Night Climbers of Oxford is a secret society dedicated to nocturnally scaling college and town buildings in Oxford, England. The society is noted for its political activism, controversial acts, feats of climbing and parkour, as well as urban exploration. The society was likely inspired by their Cambridge counterparts, The Night Climbers of Cambridge. Activities conducted by the society are forbidden by the University authorities, meaning that acts are completed under the cover of darkness, to avoid detection.

References

  1. accessed 22 March 2006) Archived 15 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "(accessed 22 March 2006)". Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2006.
  3. Cambridge Evening News, November 25th 1968
  4. The Legend of the Austin 7 Archived 2012-02-12 at the Wayback Machine , Gonville & Caius College (6 pages; retrieved 2008-08-17, broken link fixed 2013-06-29)
  5. "(accessed 12 April 2006)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2006.
  6. Jamieson, Alastair (28 November 2009). "Santa hats appear on all four spires of King's College Chapel, Cambridge". Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  7. Agencies Date: 2009-12-06 Place: Cambridge (6 December 2009). "Santa hats removed at Cambridge". Mid-day.com. Retrieved 4 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 Cambridge and Oxford Adopt U.S. Methods to Win Alumni Donations Archived 2006-01-01 at the Wayback Machine , Bloomberg.com, 2005-11-30 (retrieved 2008-08-17)
  9. Annual Report 2006-07 Archived 2008-09-06 at the Wayback Machine , National Trust (pdf), p10