Jesus College

Jesus College is Cambridge's most monastic-looking college, and for good reason: it was founded in 1496 by John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, on the grounds of a 12th-century Benedictine nunnery dedicated to St Mary and St Radegund. Alcock's surname gave the college its emblem, the cockerel. The nunnery's chapel, refectory and prioress's lodging became the college chapel, hall and Master's Lodge, and they remain the core of the college.

What to look for

• The Chimney. Visitors reach the college by a long walled passage with this name, which runs straight to the Porters' Lodge and First Court.
• The chapel. Of the university's buildings that still serve their original purpose it is the oldest: it stood 350 years before the college and half a century before the university, although Alcock cut it down and altered it.
• Cloister Court. Apart from the cloister, each court has at least one open side.
• The libraries. The Old Library was used regularly until 1912 and still holds more than 9,000 books, including the family collection of Thomas Malthus, an alumnus. Next to it, the Quincentenary Library was built to mark the 500th anniversary in 1996.
• The grounds. Large sports fields, contemporary sculpture exhibitions and a nature trail inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's student poetry are all within the site. The boathouse is across Midsummer Common.

A chapel with a long history

Work on the chapel began in 1157 and ran until 1245. It was the nunnery's church and also served local people as St Radegund's parish church. The original plan was cruciform, with aisles north and south of the nave and a steep roof topped by a belfry and steeple. The steeple fell in 1277, and fires damaged the building in 1313 and 1376. Alcock then reshaped what had been the largest church in Cambridge, on a scale comparable with a cathedral, to suit a small community of scholars; much of the old nave gave way to college rooms and later to part of the Master's Lodge. In the nineteenth century Augustus Pugin made the misericords between 1849 and 1853, using fragments from around 1500 that had been kept in the Master's Lodge. George Frederick Bodley carried out repairs from 1864 to 1867 and ordered decorative schemes from the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., which was back in the 1870s to fit stained glass.

Two choirs

Services are said or sung every day in term, with Choral Evensong four times a week. The college keeps two choirs. The College Choir is made up of male and female students, with some singers from other colleges. The Chapel Choir, likely to date from the foundation, has about twenty younger choristers alongside the college singers' lower parts. It is described as unique among Cambridge college choirs because its choristers are volunteers from schools around the city, with no choir school of their own.

Practical notes

Public opening times are not published here, so confirm visiting hours and entry arrangements with the college. Telephone the college on 01223 339339 or check its site before making a special trip.