Photo: Steff · CC BY-SA 3.0
West · Founded 1964
Darwin College
Cambridge's first graduate college occupies the Darwin family's old riverside home, its gardens spread across two islands in the river beside the Mill Pond.
The college
A closer
look.
West — Silver Street
Founded 1964. Founded in 1964 by Trinity, St John's and Gonville & Caius as Cambridge's first graduate-only college — and the first to admit both men and women — on the site of Newnham Grange, home to descendants of Charles Darwin from 1885 to 1963.
A chain of riverside houses rather than a formal court: Newnham Grange, once the Darwin family home, and the weatherboarded Old Granary are joined by discreet later ranges, including Dixon Jones's award-winning study centre of 1994, with gardens spilling onto two islands in the Cam.
On the same walk
Closest to
this one.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 01Newnham Grange
- 02The Old Granary
- 03The river islands and their small bridges
- 04Views over the Mill Pond
- 05The Dixon Jones study centre from the riverside
Connected to
Notable
names.
- Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD student and Nobel laureate
- Dian Fossey, PhD student
- Eric Maskin, research fellow and Nobel laureate
- Gwen Raverat, who grew up at Newnham Grange
- The Darwin family, residents from 1885 to 1963
Before you go
Visiting Darwin College
The gardens are generally open to the public between 09:00 and 18:00, though the college cannot accommodate commercial tours, groups are admitted only by prior arrangement, picnics are not permitted, and it may close to visitors without notice.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1964
- Area
- West — Silver Street
- Type
- College
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