Jesus College University of Cambridge

The religious nature and origin of the colleges is keenly felt in Jesus College on Jesus Lane, because it began as a nunnery. The college is one of many to be founded at the end of the XVth Century during the reign of Henry VII. About 750 students call it home. The college stands out thanks to its wide green spaces. The college lends its name to a park behind it, Jesus Green, which is filled with people on a clear sunny day.

Founded in 1496 as the College of the Blessed Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, the college became known as Jesus College, because the XIth Century nunnery chapel carried that name and was easily recognizable. Part of the Diocese of Ely, the nunnery is quite old dating back to the XIIth Century. The city of Cambridge is part of this diocese, which was created in 1108.

The founder was the Bishop of Ely, John Alcock. He died four years later. He was widely regarded for his talents as a bishop, ambassador, Lord Chancellor and architect. It was this latter quality that he put to good use when he was the granted the license for a college. The XIth Century buildings could not satisfy the demands of an XVth Century centre of learning, so he added a library and increased the size of the cloisters for student residences by reducing that of the chapel.

A nunnery would not be thought as the ideal candidate for a college, but the nunnery had gained an unsavoury reputation for alleged behaviour, which no nun should be found doing, so shutting it down was an easy choice for Henry VII and John Alcock. The chapel and cloisters were kept to form the original college buildings.

Beginning in 1844, the first major restoration work took place on the chapel under the supervision of Augustus Pugin, who worked on the Houses of Parliament. New stalls were put in and Alcock's low roof was replaced with a higher one. An organ chamber was also added on the north side of the choir.

To enter the college, you proceed up a walled walkway known as the ‘Chimney,’ which takes its name from ‘chemin,’ a French word for passage. This brings you to the Gatehouse. A few steps further takes into First Court where a right turn will carry you into the Cloister Court, which is beautiful as the walls are covered in bright green. You can either go on until you reach Chapel Court, or turn around and ponder an idea or two in Second Court. Since, you have come this far, might as well keep going until you reach New Court built in 1884 to house more students. A new library, the Quincentenary Library, was opened in 1996.

There is plenty of green space in Jesus College, so a walk in its gardens is a joy, as Jesus College to permit anyone, including you and me, to walk on its lawns. Pieces of art have been placed throughout the gardens and courts.

Official Site for Jesus College, University of Cambridge