St John’s College, Cambridge

During our recent tour of England, we visited St John’s College in Cambridge. I must say that Cambridge itself was a little bit disappointing for me. The town was a bit shabby and there was a lot of litter lying about. We also had the bad luck of choosing to park our car in a car park that smelled like a urinal. This was a bit of a shock.

Our visit to St John’s College, however, was amazing. This beautiful old building seemed steeped in knowledge and great thoughts.

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Everything seemed very still and the whole atmosphere seemed to be one of learning and discipline. I felt like I was in a huge library.

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We stood on the bridge and watched the activity on the water.

There was a wedding taking place in the magnificent gardens. The bride and groom looked so happy and the air was full of the lovely sounds of a harp. I have never seen a harp before and hadn’t appreciated how large this instrument is or how sweet its sound.

The garden was enormous and peaceful. The green laws were surrounded by majestic trees.

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Our visit fell during the August holiday period so the college was quiet. I don’t know what it is like when the University is in session but it certainly had a very traditional and studious look and feel to it.

I would have loved to have stayed longer in Cambridge but we only had a few hours to spare before driving on to Suffolk. Our brief visit was very instructive and, if I get another opportunity to visit this town, I will ensure we allocate sufficient time to visit the University and all of the colleges.

Robbie and Michael Cheadle are the co-authors of the Sir Chocolate Book series and Robbie Cheadle is the author of Silly Willy goes to Cape Town

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Published by robbiesinspiration

Robbie and Michael Cheadle are co-authors of the Sir Chocolate series of books. We both like to write and bake.

67 thoughts on “St John’s College, Cambridge”

      1. Thank you Robbie.. Yes we take our old buildings and History very much for granted I know.. And its not until you stand back and really LOOK you begin to see through another’s pair of eyes.. 🙂 SO thank YOU!

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  4. Lovely atmospheric Post Robbie Capturing the sights of this ancient university town… Shame about the car park and litter though- especially as it is such and important historical and cultural attraction!”

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      1. Have you read the His Dark Materials trilogy- (The Golden Compass (film) or Northern Lights (book) It is based around an alternate Cambridge.

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  10. Puts me in mind of when people visit Detroit, MI. I know the beauty of the City, it’s everywhere… Still, what stands out, is what is not so beautiful. Good and bad in everything and I am happy you got to experience so much of the good of Cambridge!

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  14. A lovely post, Robbie. I love the photo of St. John College. It gives a sense that the students are very serious. What a sight to see a garden wedding. Yes, the sound of a harp is heavenly, no musical instrument is quite like it. My daughter went to St. Andrew College for summer school, one year before Prince William went to college there, and my daughter heard the excitement on Campus. The campus of St. Andrew looks a little bit like St. John College. A short and sweet visit!

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  16. Hi Robbie. The underground parking area of a shopping centre in Birmingham smelt like a urinal ten years ago which was the last time I was there. Oxford University and town are very imposing as well. My dad was an Oxford man and always maintained it was more beautiful than Cambridge.

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  24. Your boys probably don’t fully appreciate the educational aspects of your vacations now – but they will as they grow older. Your entire family is so fortunate to be able to travel to so many interesting places. Thanks so much for sharing.
    xx,
    mgh
    (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
    ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
    “It takes a village to educate a world!”

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  27. Yes, do visit more colleges next time you’re in our beautiful city. St John’s is a wonderful place and has an excellent choir. The Epiphany Service in their Chapel is so moving – entirely candle lit and so atmospheric.

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