Clare College Cambridge

A Brief History of Clare College.

Some History of Clare College

Clare is one of the eight colleges which back onto the river in Cambridge. It is of course one of the highlights of a punt tour with Scholars Punting Cambridge.

Clare was founded in 1326 as University Hall. Shortly after, it fell into financial hardship and was taken over and named Clare Hall by Elizabeth de Clare in 1338.

Elizabeth de Clare had a large fortune because she married three times, with her respective husbands dying shortly after each wedding. As a result, she has earned the nickname ‘Black Widow’.

How Clare College was Named

During the 19^th century, the college was re-named Clare College and it is famous for its landscaped gardens which can be viewed from the river. They are actually an island surrounded by water on all four sides. The gardens date back to the 12th century but were redesigned in 1947 following the second word war. They feature a wide variety of plants and trees, perhaps some more notable examples include; swamp cypress, banana plant and a gnarled Judas tree.

How Clare College was Constructed

The building visible from the river is the Old Court. Built in 1638, it took almost a hundred years to complete, largely due to the interruption of the civil war. During that time, classicism became common in British architecture, so the building is a combination of this with traditional English gothic architecture.

A history of Clare Bridge

Punting in Cambridge would not be complete without passing under the Clare Bridge. There are many stories as to why it is crocked and why a slice has been taken from the stone ball, but these tales are best left for the punting tour. The other bridges were demolished under the instruction of Cromwell to control uprising across the then boggy fenland. Clare Bridge was spared because it had only been built a few years earlier.