St John's College, Cambridge
Lady Margaret Beaufort died in 1509 without mentioning the foundation of St John's College in her will. Her chaplain, John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, took up the task alone to ensure the college was established. He obtained approval from King Henry VIII and the Pope through Polydore Vergil to suppress the existing religious hospital. The hospital held only a Master and three Augustinian brethren by that time. A charter dated the 9th of April 1511 formally created the new institution. Further complications arose over funding from Lady Margaret's estate. It was not until the 22nd of October 1512 that a codicil was obtained in the court of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In November 1512 the Court of Chancery allowed executors to pay for the foundation from her estates. Most old hospital buildings were beyond repair when executors took over. They repaired the chapel and incorporated it into the new college. A kitchen and hall were added alongside an imposing gate tower constructed for the College Treasury.
The college expanded westwards towards the River Cam over five hundred years to form twelve courts. First Court was converted from the hospital between 1511 and 1520. The south range was refaced between 1772 and 1776 in the Georgian style by James Essex. The most dramatic alteration remained the Victorian amendment of the north range which involved demolishing the original medieval chapel. Sir George Gilbert Scott designed a new far larger set of buildings in the 1860s including the chapel. Second Court was built from 1598 to 1602 and described as 'the finest Tudor court in England'. Ralph Symons of Westminster and Gilbert Wigge of Cambridge drew the original architectural plans. These plans are housed in the library and are the oldest surviving for any Oxford or Cambridge college building. New Court was constructed between 1826 and 1831 to accommodate rapidly increasing student numbers. Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson designed this neo-Gothic structure nicknamed 'The Wedding Cake' due to its tiered design. Parts of First Court were used as a prison in 1643 during the English Civil War.
Members of the college include winners of twelve Nobel Prizes and seven prime ministers. William Wordsworth studied at St John's alongside abolitionists William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson. Prince William undertook a university-run course in estate management while affiliated with the college in 2014. Paul Dirac won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933 for discovering new productive forms of atomic theory. Frederick Sanger received two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry in 1958 and 1980 for work on protein structures and nucleic acid sequences. Roger Penrose won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020 for discovering that black hole formation is a robust prediction of general relativity. The college has produced over one thousand former members appearing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Twelve archbishops of various countries also hail from these halls. At least two princes and three saints have been associated with the institution throughout history.
The Choir of St John's College has sung daily services in the Chapel since the 1670s. Christopher Gray became director in 2023 after serving as choirmaster at Truro Cathedral. The choir carries out engagements elsewhere during vacations including tours to the Netherlands, the US, and Japan. An extensive discography includes nearly 100 commercial releases dating back to the 1950s when signed to Decca/Argo under George Guest. In May 2016 the first recording on their Signum Records imprint reached number two in UK specialist classical charts. October 2021 announced girls and women would join the choir making it the first to combine male and female voices in both adults and children. A mixed-voice adult choir named St John's Voices was founded in 2013 but disbanded by June 2024 following written notice from the College. This decision sparked a campaign with an open letter received national media attention from The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. Notable supporters included former Archbishop Rowan Williams and composer John Rutter.
The Lady Margaret Boat Club is the oldest rowing club in the university having been founded in 1825. Its traditional rival is the Boat Club of Trinity College known as 'First and Third' due to formation from two original clubs. The rivalry traces to Henry VIII ordering the execution of John Fisher after founding Trinity. Numerous anecdotes involve students and fellows of both colleges including cannons pointing toward John's on Trinity's bowling green. An eagle atop New Court is said to have been sculptured so that it shuns even the sight of its neighboring rival. The Red Boys rugby club won the Division One League title for nine years before losing to Jesus in 2010, 11. They also won the Cuppers trophy for six consecutive years from 2006 to 2011. The club has produced notable alumni including England fly-half Rob Andrew and Battlestar Galactica actor Jamie Bamber. St John's regularly produces strong contingents of university players while ensuring new players develop swiftly.
St John's first admitted women in October 1981 when K.M. Wheeler joined the fellowship along with nine female graduate students. First women undergraduates arrived a year later. Further increases in student numbers following the Second World War prompted construction of the Cripps Building in the late 1960s. Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya designed this Grade II* listed building which forms Upper and Lower River Court. In 2014 the building underwent extensive refurbishment including cleaning of Portland stone. All Saints' Yard renovation project finished in Michaelmas Term 2012 with a budget of approximately £9.75 million. Corfield Court serves as the centrepiece named after chief benefactor Charles Corfield. Undergraduates are members of the Junior Combination Room while graduate students belong to the Samuel Butler Room Society founded in 1960. On-site accommodation is provided for all undergraduate and graduate students with spacious sets containing two bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. The college maintains an extensive library supplementing university libraries where most supervisions occur.
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Common questions
When was St John's College Cambridge founded and by whom?
St John's College Cambridge was formally created on the 9th of April 1511 through a charter. The college was established by Bishop John Fisher after Lady Margaret Beaufort died in 1509 without mentioning it in her will.
Who designed New Court at St John's College Cambridge and when was it built?
New Court at St John's College Cambridge was constructed between 1826 and 1831 to accommodate rapidly increasing student numbers. Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson designed this neo-Gothic structure which is nicknamed 'The Wedding Cake' due to its tiered design.
Which Nobel Prize winners studied or worked at St John's College Cambridge?
Members of St John's College Cambridge include winners of twelve Nobel Prizes such as Paul Dirac who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933. Frederick Sanger received two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry in 1958 and 1980 while Roger Penrose won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020 for discovering that black hole formation is a robust prediction of general relativity.
When did St John's College Cambridge first admit women students?
St John's College Cambridge first admitted women in October 1981 when K.M. Wheeler joined the fellowship along with nine female graduate students. First women undergraduates arrived a year later following further increases in student numbers after the Second World War.
What is the history of the Choir of St John's College Cambridge regarding gender inclusion?
The Choir of St John's College Cambridge has sung daily services in the Chapel since the 1670s but announced in October 2021 that girls and women would join the choir. This made it the first to combine male and female voices in both adults and children despite a mixed-voice adult choir named St John's Voices being disbanded by June 2024.