Trinity College

Trinity College is one of the largest Cambridge Colleges. It is one of the riverside colleges which features in the Cambridge Punting Tour.

Buildings

The important buildings from a punting perspective are the Wren Library visible from the river and the Bridge. The Wren Library is a large rectangular building with a Courtyard. It was designed by Sir Christopher wren with a unique design which includes large windows to optimise natural sunlight for evening study. The downstairs has no windows to withstand flooding. Trinity Bridge was built in 1765, its very popular with punters because it is easy to climb and do the trick called a bridge jump.

How it was founded

Trinity was founded in 1546 by the amalgamation of two very old colleges King’s Hall and Michael House. Trinity was founded by King Henry the eighth. After dissolving the Catholic church, Henry claimed the vast amounts of property once owned by the Church. A large amount of that property was given to the Trinity College foundation. To this day Trinity remains the most wealthy college.

Notable alumni

The poet Lord Byron attended Trinity College. Although the college rules banned domestic pets, wild bears were not mentioned. For this reason Lord Byron famously kept a pet bear. Prince Charles also attended the College.