Cambridge University

A section of the outer wall of the New Court, in St John's College, Cambridge. The college was founded in 1511 but this section, in Gothic style, was built in the 19th century.

View of ‘the backs’, Cambridge. The term refers to the lawns and college gardens lining both sides of the River Cam as it flows through the town. Trinity College and the tower of St John's College can be seen in the background.

English university, one of the earliest in Europe, founded in the 13th century. The traditional date for the founding of the university is 1209, although the earliest of the existing colleges, Peterhouse, was not founded until about 1284. The university was a centre of Renaissance learning and Reformation theology, and more recently has excelled in scientific research.

Famous students of the university include Rupert Brooke, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Gray, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton, Samuel Pepys, and William Wordsworth. In 1996-97, there were 11,223 undergraduates in residence. All colleges are now coeducational except for three women's only colleges: Lucy Cavendish, New Hall, and Newnham.

The chancellor is the titular head, and the vice chancellor the active head. The Regent House is the legislative and executive body, with the Senate as the court of appeal. Each college has its own corporation, and is largely independent. The head of each college, assisted by a council of fellows, manages its affairs. Among the departments held in high repute is the Cavendish Laboratory for experimental physics, established in 1873. The Cambridge Science Park was set up by Trinity College in 1973. The Royal Greenwich Observatory moved there in 1990.