The Open Guide to Cambridge

Queens College is a college of the University of Cambridge, located near the centre of the city, near Silver Street bridge, with buildings on both sides of the River Cam. On the eastern bank ("the dark side") are densely packed older buildings, some dating from fifteenth century, many notable for their extensive use of half-timbered construction techniques.

The newer college buildings are located on the western bank, the two sides of the river connected by the much-photographed "mathematical bridge". Contrary to popular belief, this bridge has no connection to Isaac Newton, nor did it once stand without nuts and bolts. As this portion of the river lies directly adjacent to the massive Scudamore's punt company, the college provides an excellent backdrop from which to observe the confusion and collisions of novice punters.

During the English Civil War, William "Smasher" Dowsing was charged with the removal of idolatrous objects from churches and chapels of the east of England. In 1643 he applied his iconoclasm to Queens' Chapel. The chapel was restored in 1661, but was replaced with a new chapel in the late nineteenth century.

The college comprises around 500 undergraduates, 275 graduates, and 80 fellows of various categories. The college is open to visitors with a complex policy of charges depending on factors such as place of residence, time of year, day of the week, and so on. It is closed during exam season. Slightly off the main tourist trail, and so rarely overrun, but still very central within the city, the "medieval" appearance of the older courts and the contrast of the designs of the modern college make Queens' a fine destination for a day tourist, if they can determine whether or not they will be admitted, and for what price. Admission details can be found on the college's rather labyrinthine website.