Photo: Jesusgreen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Central-N · Founded 1496
Jesus College
A spacious, quieter counterpart to the central colleges, where medieval priory fabric and Pre-Raphaelite chapel interiors sit within extensive grounds dotted with contemporary sculpture.
The college
A closer
look.
Central-n — Jesus Lane
Founded 1496. Founded in 1496 by John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, on the site and buildings of the Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund, a religious community established in the mid-1140s.
Buildings run from the 12th-century priory chapel — restored by Pugin, with ceilings by Morris & Co and stained glass by Burne-Jones — through Bishop Alcock's Tudor gatehouse and Cloister Court to 21st-century additions, all set in unusually spacious grounds.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 01The walled entrance passage known as the Chimney
- 02Alcock's gatehouse with its cockerel rebus
- 03The Chapel's Morris & Co ceilings and Burne-Jones glass
- 04Cloister Court
- 05Contemporary sculpture in the grounds
Connected to
Notable
names.
- Thomas Cranmer
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Thomas Malthus
- Raymond Williams
- Nick Hornby
- Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Before you go
Visiting Jesus College
Visitors arriving in person are asked to report to the Porters' Lodge on Jesus Lane, which is staffed from 6am to midnight, and the college states no booking is required for informal visits. It does not publish general tourist opening hours or charges, so open access cannot be assumed; check the official site before visiting.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1496
- Area
- Central-n — Jesus Lane
- Type
- College
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