Cambridge Colleges are much more than student housing. They are nearly as old as the University, which itself can trace its origins back 800 years, and have major teaching and student care functions in addition to providing student housing. It is also the Colleges which admit students into the University and present them for degrees on completion of their studies.
One aspect of NT11 is that the majority of accommodation booked is within the Colleges. Although facilities vary between different Colleges, the accommodation is generally divided into two classes: ensuite (with private bath or shower) and non-ensuite (shared bathroom). A key aspect of registration for the Conference is that College accommodation is booked at the same time. Booking at a later stage after registration will not be possible via the website. Instead, it will require a separate e-mail request to the conference secretariat. Similarly, requests for College accommodation extending beyond the nights of July 9th to July 16th will similarly require a separate e-mailed request.
Delegates preferring Hotel accommodation, which will have to be booked separately, should first consult the appropriate section of this website for additional guidance.
The NT11 delegate rates for College accommodation are as follows:
| Non-ensuite (shared bathroom) | £45.00 per night |
| Ensuite (private shower or bath) | £75.00 per night |
| There is a minimum booking of three consecutive nights. | |
Allocation to accommodation in a particular College will be made by the conference Organising Committee on the basis of the following criteria (not necessarily in this order of precedence):
Delegates will be notified of their college accommodation allocation together with joining instructions shortly before the conference commences.
Accommodation has been reserved for NT11 delegates in the Colleges which are listed below and accompanied by brief informal comments. The booking of all conference accommodation must be done through the registration process - please do not contact the Colleges directly.
Central Colleges (less than 5 minute walk from the Conference venue)
Corpus Christi Founded in 1352, it is adjacent to St Bene’t’s Church which was once its chapel and has a tower which date back to 1025 AD. One of the College’s ‘gems’ is the Parker Library, which has one of the finest collections of ancient bibles and relevant manuscripts in the world. Many of these were rescued from the libraries of Monasteries as Henry VIII was tearing them down at the Reformation. The College is adjacent to the Conference venue and is a classic example of one of the smaller, older, Colleges.
Christ’s Rather younger than Corpus but also with some original buildings (originally founded as God's-house 1437, re-founded in 1505), Christ’s is also on the small side. However, it numbers amongst its alumni John Milton and, more recently, Charles Darwin whose life-sized statue sits in one of the gardens.
St Catherine’s (Catz) [1473] The College has distinguished buildings, some of them occupying the site of Thomas Hobson’s livery stables, which gave rise to the phrase Hobson’s Choice (‘my choice or no choice’). One of the College’s students was John Addenbrooke who personally founded the famous hospital which bears his name.
Sidney Sussex Before Henry VIII, the site of the College was a Franciscan Friary. Even though it was largely demolished by Trinity College for building materials, in 1594 Queen Elizabeth I enabled the Sidney Sussex College to be founded. Its most famous alumnus is probably Oliver Cromwell, who after ruling the UK through its one short period as a republic (the ‘Commonwealth’), fell into posthumous disfavour on the restoration of the monarchy and his head ended up on a pike in Westminster Hall. Mysteriously, this somewhat unusual object arrived in a box delivered to the College one day in 1960, and has now been buried in a secret location known only to the Master and one or two Fellows. Sidney was the site of the earliest metallurgical laboratory in Cambridge in which the first work was done on phase equilibria in metals. The separate small building was burnt down by students after a riotous bumps supper early last century. Again, Sidney is only a short walk from the Conference.
Trinity (1546) The richest and the largest (just) of the Cambridge Colleges, Trinity was founded by Henry VIII at the end of his life, probably on the suggestion of his final wife, Catharine Parr. Predictably he achieved it by dissolving two existing colleges on the site, King’s Hall and Michaelhouse. Trinity’s Great Court is the largest in either Oxford and Cambridge, while its grounds extend for over 1/2 mile to the West. It is also famous for its library adjacent to the river Cam designed by Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Numbered amongst Trinity’s alumni are Newton, JJ Thompson, Rutherford, Wittgenstein, Dryden and Byron. It has been known to boast as many Nobel Prizewinners as France (not sustainable on close examination), and is keen to play down the excellence of its wine cellars. Trinity has made a generous donation to NT11 and will be providing a significant fraction of our College accommodation.
The Hill* Colleges These are sited some 15 minutes pleasant walk from the conference venue if routed via the famous College “Backs”. Car parking here would be easier than in the town Colleges, but delegates are advised still to use public transport.
*In the flat Fenlands of Cambridge ‘hill’ is a relative term.
Murray Edwards [1954] A young College for women only, although men can be Fellows…., which only recently changed its name from New Hall. While Dame Rosemary Murray was the Colleges first president, the new name was not totally dissociated from modern trends in fund raising. While, to some extent, the buildings are an essay in concrete, the College is set in nice gardens. It has developed strong Japanese links, and hosts the Kaetsu Centre made possible through Japanese funding.
Churchill [1960] MIT provided the inspiration for the founding of a College which would have an emphasis towards science and engineering. Churchill College is also, of course, a memorial to the Statesman. It houses his archives, originally funded by US Ambassadors to Britain. Churchill’s first Master was Sir John Cockcroft, the nuclear physicist. The College rowing eight wears Sir Winston’s horse racing colours. It also became the first Cambridge all male College to admit women, as long ago as 1972.
Trinity Hall [1350] This is another ancient city centre college, but with some good new accommodation in Storey’s Way which we have reserved. The old college is a delightful mix of period buildings and gardens set on the river Cam and would be on the walking route from the accommodation into the Conference. It is right next to Trinity, with which it has no formal association. In any case it predates it by some 200 years.
Please contact us if you would like more information (secretariat@nt11.org).