Trinity College, Cambridge: the Great Gate
Trinity College was founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII and is today the largest, wealthiest and by far the most distinguished College of Cambridge University. In founding Trinity, Henry VIII forced the amalgamation of two small Colleges, Michaelhouse and King’s Hall, which had existed on the site for two centuries. The oldest parts of the College date from the 14th century but many buildings have been added over the centuries. The Wren Library is much admired not only for its architecture but also for its outstanding collection of rare manuscripts, books and papers. The Great Gate with the statue of Henry VIII and the enormous Great Court are other important features of the college. Trinity owns the Cambridge Science Park, Felixstowe Docks and a great deal of property in Cambridge and across the nation. Its academic and intellectual distinction places it foremost among Cambridge colleges. It has provided 32 Nobel Laureates out of the Cambridge University total of 85. Trinity alumni include Isaac Newton, Clerk Maxwell (theory of electromagnetism), J J Thomson (discovery of the electron), Lord Rutherford (atomic theory), Pyotr Kapitsa (low-temperature physics), the philosophers Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, the poets Byron, Tennyson, Marvell, Dryden and Iqbal, the politicians Arthur Balfour, Stanley Baldwin and Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister) the economists, James Meade and Amartya Sen. The view is of the Great Gate, from Trinity Street. Construction of the Great Gate began c. 1490 and by c. 1535 it was in essentially its present form. The statue of Henry VIII over the gate was set up in 1615; he should hold orb and sceptre, but the sceptre was long ago replaced by a wooden chair-leg. The picture was drawn by R B Harraden and etched by Elizabeth Byrne
Size: 8237px × 5648px
Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Photo credit: © Cameni Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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