Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Trinity is the largest of all the colleges in Cambridge (and indeed Oxford), with around 650 undergraduates, 320 graduates, and over 160 Fellows. It is also the wealthiest Oxbridge college with an estimated financial endowment of £621m and income of £25.2m (2003) (On a per student basis, Trinity is one of the best-endowed educational institutions in the world).

Traditions

The Great Court Run

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The Great Court Run is an attempt to run round the perimeter of Great Court (approximately 367 metres), in the 43 seconds during the clock striking twelve. Students traditionally attempt the complete the circuit on the day of the Matriculation Dinner. It is a rather difficult challenge and the only people believed to have actually completed the run in time are Lord Burghley in 1927 and Sebastian Coe when he beat Steve Cram in a charity race in October 1988.

Related Topics:
Great Court - Lord Burghley - 1927 - Sebastian Coe - Steve Cram - 1988

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Open-Air Concerts

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One Sunday each June (the exact date depends on the university term), the College Choir perform a short concert immediately after the clock strikes 12 noon. Known as Singing from the Towers, half of the choir sings from the top of Great Gate, while the other half sings from the top of the Clock Tower (approximately 60 metres away), giving a strong antiphonal effect. Midway through the concert, a brass band performs from the top of Queen's Tower. Later that same day, the College Choir gives a second open-air concert, known as Singing on the River, where they perform madrigals (and arrangements of popular songs) from a raft of punts on the river.

Related Topics:
Antiphonal - Punts - River

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Mallard (Wooden Duck)

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Another tradition relates to a wooden duck (known as the Mallard), which resides in the rafters of the Great Hall. Students occasionally move the duck from one rafter to another (without permission from the college), having been photographed with the mallard as proof. This is considered very difficult, as access to the Hall outside meal-times is prohibited. In addition, the rafters are high so it has not been attempted for several years. During the Easter term of 2005 several pigeons entered the Hall and one knocked it off its rafter. It was found intact on the floor, and it currently held by the College catering staff and it is unknown as to whether it will be reinstated.

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Bicycles and chair legs

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For many years it was the custom for students to place a bicycle high in branches of the tree in the centre of New Court. Usually

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invisible except in winter, when the leaves had fallen, such bicycles tended to remain for several years before being removed

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by the authorities. The students then inserted another bicycle.

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Similarly, the sceptre held by the statue of Henry VIII mounted high up near the Great Gate was

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for many years replaced by a chair leg.

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College Rivalry

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The college remains a great rival of St. John's who are their main rival in sports and academia. This has given rise to a number of anecdotes and myths. It is often cited as the reason why the courts of Trinity generally have no J staircases, despite including other letters in alphabetical order. Burrell's Field has a J staircase but New, Great, Whewell's, Nevile's and Blue Boar Courts skip the letter. The reason is more one of tradition and the absence of the letter J in the Roman alphabet.

Related Topics:
St. John's - Roman alphabet

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