Robinson College, Cambridge

Robinson College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge.

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It was founded after the British philanthropist David Robinson offered the university £17 million to establish a new college in Cambridge: this is still one of the largest donations ever accepted by the university. Robinson later gave his college another £1 million, on the occasion of its official opening. The first fellows and graduate students joined the college in 1977. Undergraduates (20 of them) were admitted in 1979, but significant numbers only began arriving the following year. The college was formally opened by The Queen in May 1981.

Related Topics:
David Robinson - Fellows - Graduate - 1977 - Undergraduates - The Queen - 1981

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Robinson is the newest of the Cambridge colleges, and is unique in being the only one to have been intendend, from its inception, for both undergraduate and graduate students, of either sex. Despite maintaining some Cambridge traditions, such as Formal Hall, the college has tended to avoid others: for example, it is one of the few colleges that allows its students to walk on the grass in the college gardens. Robinson is in general less formal and traditional than most of the other colleges in the university.

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Designed by the Scottish architectural firm Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, Robinson's main buildings are distinctive for the generous use of red bricks in their construction (one and a quarter million of them.) Of particular note are the library and chapel, the latter with stained-glass windows designed by John Piper. Located a ten minute walk west of the city centre, behind the University Library, near the science buildings in West Cambridge and the arts faculties on the university's Sidgwick Site, the college stands on a 12.5 acre wooded site. Within its grounds is Thorneycreek Cottage, accommodating graduate students, and Bin Brook, which once supplied water to the Hospital of St. John (now St. John's College), flows through the college gardens. A number of second-year students live in college-owned accommodation elsewhere in Cambridge, most notably a terrace of six houses ("Romsey Terrace") off the city's Mill Road. The main entrance to the college is via a drawbridge-like ramp, which is accessible to wheelchair users. There are also some special facilities for those with physical or visual disabilities.

Related Topics:
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia - Chapel - John Piper - University Library - Science - West Cambridge - Arts - Sidgwick Site - St. John's College - Cambridge - Drawbridge - Ramp - Wheelchair

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Because of its modern facilities and accommodation (with most of the rooms in the main college buildings being en-suite), Robinson is also one of Cambridge's most important conference centres, and always hosts a number of conferences during the summer months when the undergraduate students are away on their long vacation. Unlike some of the older colleges, Robinson does not own large amounts of land which can be used as a source of income, and the conferences are thus an important source of money for the college.

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The Needham Research Institute is also located within the college grounds.

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