Old Schools

Coordinates: 52°12′19″N 0°07′00″E / 52.2053°N 0.1166°E / 52.2053; 0.1166

Old Schools from the top of Great St Mary's

The Old Schools are part of the University of Cambridge, in the centre of Cambridge, England.^[1] The Old Schools house the Cambridge University Offices, which form the main administration for the University.^[2]

The entrance to the administrative centre of the university, the Old Schools.

Within the Old Schools are West Court and Cobble Court. The building is Grade I listed.^[3] It is two storeys high with ashlar facing and a parapet above.

The Old Schools building is located at the end of Trinity Lane and is surrounded by other historic University and College buildings. To the north is Gonville and Caius College. To the east is the University of Cambridge Senate House where degree ceremonies are held, on King's Parade. To the south, the scene is dominated by the large King's College Chapel. To the west are Trinity Hall and Clare College.

The Old Schools Site covers the Old Schools, the Senate House, and Great St Mary's, the University Church.^[4]

History

The Old Schools Combination Room during an eleven day student occupation in 2010

The original building was begun in 1441–4.^[3] It formed the Old Court of King's College, but was bought by University and partly demolished in 1829. The west range was completed in 1864–7 by Sir George Gilbert Scott and in 1889–90 by John Loughborough Pearson. The Old Schools formerly housed the Cambridge University Library, which has now relocated to the west of the Cambridge city centre, north off West Road Path. The north wing designed by Charles Robert Cockerell and built 1836-7 in a grand classical style was originally part of a scheme to rebuild the entire building^[5].

References

1. ^ Trinity Lane: Old Schools, Cambridge 2000.
2. ^ University Offices: How to get to the Old Schools, University of Cambridge.
3. ^ ^{a b} Trinity Lane, Cambridge City Council.
4. ^ University of Cambridge Official Map — Old Schools Site.
5. ^ pages 183 to 196, chapter XI 'The Path to Greatness: Cambridge University Library' in David Watkins: The Life and Work of C.R. Cockerell, 1974, Zwemmer