With Cambridge University and the city of Cambridge opening their doors to the public over the second weekend in September, don’t miss the rare chance to see some of the world’s greatest treasures.
With Cambridge University and the city of Cambridge opening their doors to the public over the second weekend in September, don’t miss the rare chance to see some of the world’s greatest treasures.
Bookings are now being taken for Open Cambridge, a programme of tours, talks and activities from Friday 9 September to 11 Sunday September. All the events, with the exception of the gala dinner at Westminster College, are free.
Now in its fourth year, Open Cambridge offers the public a chance to find out more about the historic city and university and see some of the treasures not usually open to the public.
The programme includes tours of several college gardens, including Clare College Garden and Trinity College Fellows’ Garden, and the chance to visit some of the most famous libraries in the world, housing collections studied by eminent scholars.
Libraries are a strong feature of Open Cambridge with tours of some of Cambridge’s most historic resources. Those open to the public include the University Library, one of the world’s greatest research libraries and home to over 8 million books, Christ’s College Library, Trinity Hall Old Library, Sidney Sussex Library and the stunning Parker Library at Corpus Christi College.
At Christ’s College Library there is an exhibition focusing on World War I with letters from Perse School old boys serving in the trenches. The Parker Library is famous worldwide for its collection of illuminated manuscripts. The Elizabethan Old Library at Trinity Hall is the oldest library in Cambridge still in its original condition, and is a fine example of a library built at a time when books were so precious that they were chained to the shelves.
The first day of the programme concludes with a chance to have a three-course dinner in the listed dining hall at Westminster College with a pre-dinner drink, offered for £30 (booking ahead essential).
Two talks on Saturday 10 September, at the Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, will introduce visitors to different aspects of life in Cambridge – academic dress through the ages and changes in transport over the last century.
Family-friendly activities include tours of St John’s College Old Library, which overlooks the River Cam. Visitors will be able to find the answers to questions such as how old is the library’s oldest manuscript and why is there a lizard in the library?
Events are not confined to the university and the colleges but also include a tour of Great St Mary’s Church, a talk about the Old Robert Sayle (now John Lewis), and a re-enactment of the famous Stourbridge fair in the grounds of the Leper Chapel on Newmarket Road. While many of the events on the programme must be pre-booked, others are drop in.
On Sunday 11 September there will be a chance to walk through the city and many of the colleges with the Bridge the Gap charity walk which each year raises substantial sums for Arthur Rank House and Press Relief.
Sue Long, organiser of Open Cambridge at the University of Cambridge Office of Community Affairs, said: “Open Cambridge is a fabulous opportunity to look behind the scenes of the university and wider city. Our programme offers something for everyone.”
Last year more than 3,000 people took part in Open Cambridge events. Many of the events are restricted by numbers so early booking is advisable. To book go to: http://www.cam.ac.uk/opencambridge/
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