Story
The story of Trinity College
Few places on Earth have produced as many great minds as this college. Trinity was founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, and its Great Court is said to be the largest enclosed courtyard in Europe.
Its members have won 34 Nobel Prizes – more than any other Oxford or Cambridge college. Isaac Newton studied here, and so did the physicists James Clerk Maxwell, Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr, the mathematicians Srinivasa Ramanujan and Charles Babbage, the poets Lord Byron and Lord Tennyson, the writers Vladimir Nabokov and A. A. Milne, and the philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell – whom the college once expelled and later welcomed back.
Six British prime ministers are alumni, and King Charles III earned his degree here in 1970. It is also the richest college at Oxford or Cambridge. Step into Great Court and look at the ground that all these people once crossed.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
Hear this story on the spot, in a natural voice
On Sightlore, the story of Trinity College is narrated in a natural voice in 5 languages. When you arrive, say "I'm here" and get your passport stamp.
6 more stories from Cambridge in the app
More highlights in Cambridge
- King's College ChapelKing's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture and features the world's largest fan vault.
- Fitzwilliam MuseumThe Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge.
- The BacksThe Backs is an area to the east of Queen's Road in the city of Cambridge, England, where several colleges of the University of Cambridge back on to the River Cam with their grounds covering both banks of the river.
- Holy Sepulchre, CambridgeThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre, generally known as The Round Church, is an Anglican church in the city of Cambridge, England. It is located on the corner of Round Church Street and Bridge Street.
- Mathematical BridgeThe Mathematical Bridge is a wooden footbridge in the southwest of central Cambridge, England. It bridges the River Cam about one hundred feet northwest of Silver Street Bridge and connects two parts of Queens' College.
- Church of St Mary the GreatSt Mary the Great is a Church of England parish and university church at the north end of King's Parade in central Cambridge, England. It is known locally as Great St Mary's or simply GSM to distinguish it from "Little St Mary's".