To spot St John’s College, just look ahead for the grand, turreted stone building stretching wide across a lush green lawn, with its tall gatehouse in the centre and an impressive chapel tower rising to your right-all set against the open sky.
Now, take a deep breath and imagine yourself standing here over 500 years ago when this very ground was filled not with students, but the beds and whispers of an old hospital. You’d have heard the soft shuffle of monks sandals and the distant clang of the ancient chapel bell. Back then, the sick and weary would come here to rest, and by the time the Tudor era swept in, the hospital was so run-down it might as well have been held together by a prayer and hope!
In steps Lady Margaret Beaufort-matriarch, mother to Henry VII, and a woman determined enough to found not just one college, but two. She chose this very spot, at the advice of her chaplain, John Fisher. After a tangle of legal dramas, papal approvals, and more red tape than you’d find at a medieval scroll shop, St John’s College finally earned its charter on the 9th of April, 1511.
Now feast your eyes on the Great Gate before you: those tall spires topped with the mythical yales-half-antelope, half-elephant with horns that can swivel (yes, even the statues in Cambridge have to be flexible)! Look up, and you’ll see the arms of Lady Margaret and a miniature figure of St John himself, cradling his symbolic eagle and chalice. It’s about as subtle as a Tudor selfie.
As you step closer, imagine Queen Elizabeth I herself riding straight into the college hall on horseback-no one told her about “no hats or horses indoors.” And, over the years, these ancient courts have held far more than royal hoofprints: St John’s has nurtured 12 Nobel Prize winners, seven Prime Ministers, archbishops, abolitionists, poets, and-just to keep things lively-a couple of ghosts. Maybe you’ll hear the creak of floorboards where the ghost of James Wood, the frugal master, used to work by the stairwell’s light because he couldn’t afford candles.
It’s not all solemn faces here, either. The students of St John’s have a reputation for sporting triumphs, punting mischief, and throwing one of the most dazzling May Balls in town (imagine fireworks reflected on the River Cam, as laughter spills beneath the night sky). And if you listen closely, you might catch the haunting, beautiful harmonies of the world-renowned St John’s Choir drifting from the chapel, which towers above much of the city.
Don’t miss the Bridge of Sighs behind these very courts, a neo-gothic masterpiece described by Queen Victoria as “so pretty and picturesque.” Rather cheekily, the students say it’s named for the sighs of those walking from their rooms to exams. In truth, the college has humor stitched into its bricks: legends claim the reason the clock tower has no faces was to avoid losing a race with Trinity, their ever-playful rival across the lawn. And by the way, St John’s fellows are said to be the only people outside the royal family allowed to eat unmarked mute swans-though if you see someone trying, it’s probably best not to ask…
So as you look across these peaceful lawns and ancient stones, picture centuries of scholars, dreamers, and legends all leaving their mark-and know that just by standing here, you’re now a part of St John’s story, too.
Seeking more information about the buildings and grounds, college choirs or the traditions and legends? Ask away in the chat section and I'll fill you in.
