Editing St John's College, Cambridge (section)

==Buildings and grounds==
[[File:St John's College, Cambridge by Loggan 1690.jpg|thumb|Engraving of St John's College, [[David Loggan]], {{Circa|1685}}]]
[[File:St Johns main gate.jpg|thumb|The Main Gate of St John's College on [[St John's Street, Cambridge|St John's Street]], decorated with the [[coat of arms|arms]] of the foundress]]

===Great Gate===
St John's Great Gate follows the contemporary pattern employed previously at [[Christ's College, Cambridge|Christ's College]] and [[Queens' College, Cambridge|Queens' College]]. The gatehouse is crenellated and adorned with the arms of the foundress Lady Margaret Beaufort. Above these are displayed her ensigns, the Red Rose of Lancaster and Portcullis. The college arms are flanked by heraldic beasts known as [[yale (mythical creature)|yales]], mythical creatures with elephants' tails, antelopes' bodies, goats' heads, and swivelling horns. Above them is a [[church tabernacle|tabernacle]] containing a [[socle (architecture)|socle]] figure of St John the Evangelist, an Eagle at his feet and a symbolic, poisoned chalice in his hands. The fan vaulting above is contemporary with the tower and may have been designed by William Swayne, a master mason of King's College Chapel.<ref>'A History of St John's College', produced by Tim Rawle Associates, Cloister Press, p. 10</ref>

===First Court===
First Court is entered via the Great Gate and is highly architecturally varied. First Court was converted from the hospital on the foundation of the college, and constructed between 1511 and 1520. Though it has since been gradually changed, the front (east) range is still much as it appeared when first erected in the 16th century.<ref>'A History of St John's College', produced by Tim Rawle Associates, Cloister Press, p. 3</ref> The south range was refaced between 1772 and 1776 in the Georgian style by the local architect, [[James Essex]], as part of an abortive attempt to modernise the entire court in the same fashion. The most dramatic alteration to the original, Tudor court, however, remains the Victorian amendment of the north range, which involved the demolition of the original medieval chapel and the construction of a new, far larger set of buildings in the 1860s. These included the chapel, designed by Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]], which includes in its interior some pieces saved from the original chapel. It is the third tallest building in Cambridge. The alteration of the north range necessitated the restructuring of the connective sections of First Court; another bay window was added to enlarge the college's hall, and a new building was constructed to the north of Great Gate. Parts of the First Court were used as a prison in 1643 during the [[English Civil War]]. In April 2011, [[Queen Elizabeth II]] visited St John's College to inaugurate a new pathway in First Court, which passes close to the ruins of the Old Chapel.

===Dining hall===
[[File:Cam formal dinner st johns hall 2005.jpg|thumb|right|The 16th-century dining hall has a [[hammerbeam roof]]]]

The college's hall has a fine [[hammerbeam roof]], painted in black and gold and decorated with the armorial devices of its benefactors. The hall is lined to cill level with linenfold panelling which dates from 1528 to 1529 and has a five-bay screen, surmounted by the Royal Arms. Above is a hexagonal louvre, dating to 1703. The room was extended from five to eight bays according to designs by [[George Gilbert Scott|Sir George Gilbert Scott]] in 1863. It has two bay windows, containing heraldic glass dating from the 15th to 19th centuries.<ref name="imagesofengland.org.uk">{{NHLE|desc=St Johns College|year=2014|num=1332216|access-date=15 July 2014}}</ref> In 1564, Queen Elizabeth rode into the college's Hall on horseback, during a state visit to Cambridge.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KHbPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA22 |magazine=[[The Gentleman's Magazine|The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle]] |editor-first=Sylvanus |editor-last=Urban  |volume=18 |page=22 |year=1773 |title=The Gentleman's Magazine |access-date=27 February 2012}}</ref>

[[File:St John's College Second Court, Cambridge, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|The tower of Second Court leading to Third Court]]

===Second Court===
Second Court, built from 1598 to 1602, has been described as 'the finest [[Tudor period|Tudor]] court in England'. Built atop the demolished foundations of an earlier, far smaller court, Second Court was begun in 1598 to the plans of [[Ralph Symons]] of Westminster, and Gilbert Wigge of Cambridge. Their original architectural drawings are housed in the college's library and are the oldest surviving plans for an Oxford or Cambridge college building.<ref>'A History of St John's College', produced by Tim Rawle Associates, Cloister Press, p. 13</ref> It was financed by the [[Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury|Countess of Shrewsbury]], whose arms and statue stand above the court's western gatehouse. The court's Oriel windows are perhaps its most striking feature, though the dominating Shrewsbury Tower to the west is the most imposing. This gatehouse, built as a mirror image of the college's Great Gate, contains a statue of the benefactress [[Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury]], added in 1671. Behind the [[Oriel window]] of the north range lies the Long Gallery, a promenading room that was, before its segmentation, 148 feet long. In this room, the treaty between England and France was signed that established the marriage of King [[Charles I of England]] to Queen [[Henrietta Maria]]. In the 1940s, parts of the [[D-day]] landings were planned there. Second Court is also home to the college's 'triple set', K6.

[[File:St John's College, Cambridge, third court 04.JPG|thumb|left|View of Third Court and the Old Library]]
[[File:St John's College Old Library interior.jpg|thumb|right|The interior of the Old Library]]

===Library===
{{main|St John's College Old Library, Cambridge}}

The Old Library was built in 1624, largely with funds donated by [[John Williams (archbishop of York)|John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln]]. Hearing of the college's urgent need for greater library space, Williams donated £1,200 anonymously, later revealing his identity and donating a total of £2,011 towards the library's total cost of £3,000.<ref>'A History of St John's College', produced by Tim Rawle Associates, Cloister Press, p. 20.</ref> The library's bay window overlooks the River Cam and bears the letters "ILCS" on it, standing for ''Iohannes Lincolniensis Custos Sigilli'', or "John of Lincoln, Keeper of the Seal". The original intention of the college had been to construct an elegant classical building supported by pillared porticos, but Bishop Williams insisted on a more traditional design. Thus, though the college lays claim to too few examples of [[Neoclassical architecture|neo-classical]] design, the library stands as one of the earliest examples of English [[neo-Gothic]] architecture.

===Third Court===
Third Court is entered through Shrewsbury Tower, which from 1765 to 1859 housed an observatory. Each of its ranges was built in a different style. Following the completion of the college library in 1624, the final sides of the Third Court were added between 1669 and 1672, after the college had recovered from the trauma of the [[English Civil War]]. The additions included a fine set of Dutch-gabled buildings backing onto the River Cam and a 'window-with-nothing-behind-it' that was designed to solve the problem of connecting the windowed library with the remainder of the court.

===Kitchen or Wren Bridge===
[[File:Bridge over the River Cam, Cambridge, 2008-03-31.jpg|thumb|View of Wren Bridge from the Backs]]

This was the first stone bridge erected at St John's College, continuing from Kitchen Lane. The crossing lies south of the Bridge of Sighs and was a replacement for a wooden bridge that had stood on the site since the foundation's early days as a hospital. Though [[Sir Christopher Wren]] submitted designs for the bridge, it was eventually built on a different site by a local mason, Robert Grumbold, who also built Trinity College Library. As with the Library, Grumbold's work was based on Wren's designs, and the bridge has become known as "the Wren Bridge".

===Kitchen Court===
This tiny court, formed within the walls of the old Kitchen Lane, is used as an outdoor dining area.

===Bridge of Sighs===
{{main|Bridge of Sighs, Cambridge}}
[[File:Bridge of Sighs, St John's College, Cambridge, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|right|St John's Bridge of Sighs]]
Though it bears little resemblance to [[Bridge of Sighs|its namesake in Venice]], the bridge connecting Third Court to New Court, originally known as New Bridge, is now commonly known as the Bridge of Sighs. It is one of the most photographed buildings in Cambridge and was described by the visiting Queen Victoria as "so pretty and picturesque".<ref>''A History of St John's College'', produced by Tim Rawle Associates, Cloister Press, p. 24</ref> It is a single-span bridge of stone with a highly decorative Neo-Gothic covered footwalk over with traceried openings. There is a three-bay arcade at the east end of the bridge. The architect was [[Henry Hutchinson]].

===New Court===

[[File:1840 St John's College Cloisters New Buildings Colour Print Le Keux Mackenzie.jpg|thumb|right|St John's College Cloisters New Buildings ]]

The 19th-century neo-Gothic New Court, probably one of the best-known buildings in Cambridge, was the first major building to be built by the college on the west side of the river. Designed by [[Thomas Rickman]] and [[Henry Hutchinson]], New Court was constructed between 1826 and 1831 to accommodate the college's rapidly increasing numbers of students. Despite the college's original intention to get the architects to build another copy of the Second Court, plans were accepted for a fashionably romantic building in the 'Gothic' style. It is also likely that the decision to utilise the neo-Gothic style was made to emulate and compete with the neo-Gothic screen of King's College, designed by William Wilkins and already two years under construction at the time of John's commission. It is a three-sided court of tall Gothic Revival buildings, closed on the fourth side by an open, seven-bayed cross-vaulted cloister and gateway. It is four storeys high, has battlements and is pinnacled. The main portal features a fan vault with a large octagonal pendant, which resembles that of the ceiling found in Bishop Alcock's late 15th-century chapel in Ely Cathedral. The interior of the main building retains many of its original features including ribbed plaster ceilings. Its prominent location (particularly when glimpsed from the river) and flamboyant, tiered design have led it to be nicknamed "The Wedding Cake".

===Chapel===
[[File:LeKeux - Cambridge, c1840 - St John's 05, Chapel - memorialsofcambr01wriguoft 0214.jpg|thumb|Old College Chapel]]
[[File:St John's College Chapel, Cambridge, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|Inside St John's College Chapel]]
The Chapel of St John's College is entered by the northwest corner of First Court. It was constructed between 1866 and 1869 to replace the smaller mediaeval chapel which dated back to the 13th century. When in 1861 the college's administration decided that a new building was needed, Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]] was selected as the architect. He had recently finished work on the chapel at [[Exeter College, Oxford]], and went about constructing the chapel of St John's College along similar lines, drawing inspiration from [[Sainte-Chapelle]] in Paris.

[[File:St John's College Chapel Court, Cambridge, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|St John's College Chapel was designed by Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]]]]

The benefactor [[Henry Hoare (1807–1866)|Henry Hoare]] offered a downpayment of £3000 to finance the chapel's construction, in addition to which he promised to pay £1000 a year if a tower were added to Scott's original plans, which had included only a small [[flèche (architecture)|flèche]]. Work began, but Hoare's death from a railway accident left the college £3000 short of his expected benefaction. The tower was completed, replete with [[Louver|louvres]] but left without bells; it is based on [[Pershore Abbey]].<ref>'A History of St John's College', produced by Tim Rawle Associates, Cloister Press, p. 11</ref> The tower is {{convert|163|ft|m}} high.<ref>{{cite book|title=The New Chapel of St John's College |publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1869|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5tZAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP11}}</ref>

The chapel's antechamber contains statues of [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]] and [[John Fisher]]. Inside the building is a stone-vaulted [[ante-chapel]], at the end of which hangs a 'Deposition of the Cross' by [[Anton Rafael Mengs]], completed around 1777. The [[misericord]]s and panelling date from 1516, and were salvaged from the old chapel. The chapel contains some 15th-century glass, but most was cast by [[Clayton and Bell]], [[Hardman & Co.|Hardman]], and [[William Wailes|Wailes]], in around 1869.<ref name="imagesofengland.org.uk"/> Freestanding statues and plaques commemorate college benefactors such as [[James Wood (mathematician)|James Wood]], Master 1815–39, as well as alumni including [[William Wilberforce]], [[Thomas Clarkson]] and [[William Gilbert (astronomer)|William Gilbert]]. The college tower can be climbed and is accessed via a small door on First Court. However, this access was closed in 2016 for the duration that important structural repairs were carried out to the tower [[Pinnacle]]s and roof.

The chapel is surrounded on three sides by large [[church tabernacle|tabernacles]] which form part of the external buttresses. Each contains a statue of a prominent college alumnus, alumna or benefactor. The people commemorated are, beginning with the buttress next to the transept on the south side:

{{flatlist|
* [[Sir William Cecil]], Lord Burghley
* Lucius, [[Viscount Falkland]]
* [[John Williams, Archbishop of York]]
* [[Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford|Thomas Wentworth]], Earl of Strafford
* [[William Gilbert (astronomer)|William Gilbert]], natural philosopher
* [[Roger Ascham]], instructor to Elizabeth I
* [[Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury|Mary Cavendish]], Countess of Shrewsbury
* [[Richard Bentley]], classicist
* [[Edward Stillingfleet]], bishop of Worcester
* [[John Overall (bishop)|John Overall]], Bishop of Coventry, Lichfield and Norwich
* [[Peter Gunning]], Bishop of Chichester and Ely
* Sarah Alston, Duchess of Somerset
* [[Thomas Clarkson]], abolitionist
* [[Brook Taylor]], natural philosopher and mathematician
* [[Thomas Linacre]], founder of the Royal College of Physicians
* ''Two plinths left vacant''
* [[Thomas Baker (antiquarian)|Thomas Baker]], historian
}}

===Master's Lodge and garden===
St John's Master's Lodge is located in a grassy clearing to the north of Third Court. It was built at the same time as the new chapel was being constructed and has Tudor fittings, wainscot, portraits and other relics from the demolished north wing of First Court. It has a large garden, and in the winter its westmost rooms have excellent views of the college's old library, the River Cam, and the Bridge of Sighs. The architect was [[Sir George Gilbert Scott]].

===School of Pythagoras===
{{main| School of Pythagoras}}

To the west of the Cripps Building lies the School of Pythagoras. Built around 1200, it predates the college by 300 years and is both the oldest secular building in Cambridge and the oldest building continuously in use by a university in Britain. The building now serves as the location for the College Archives. Next to the School of Pythagoras lies Merton Hall. From 1266 until 1959 both the School of Pythagoras and Merton Hall were the property of [[Merton College, Oxford]].<ref>{{cite book | title=A History of Merton College | author = Martin, G.H. | year = 1997 | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | isbn = 0-19-920183-8 | pages = 17 and 342 }}</ref> Merton Court is the college's eleventh and westernmost court.

===Buildings and courts since 1900===

[[File:Divinity School, St John's College, Cambridge - 01.jpg|thumb|Old Divinity School]]
[[File:St John's College, Cambridge, chapel court 03.JPG|thumb|Chapel Court]]
Located to the west of the chapel tower lies Chapel Court, which was constructed together with North Court and Forecourt in the 1930s to account for an increase in student numbers. North Court is located just north of Chapel Court and Forecourt is situated to the east, facing [[St John's Street, Cambridge|St John's Street]]. The latter is used partly as a car park for fellows and leads to what is now the principal [[porters' lodge]] and entrance to the college. All three courts were designed by the architect [[Edward Maufe]].

Further increases in student numbers following the Second World War prompted the college to increase the number of accommodation buildings. The Cripps Building was built in the late 1960s to satisfy this demand. It is located just behind New Court and forms two courts (Upper & Lower River Court). Designed by architects [[Philip Powell (architect)|Philip Powell]] and [[Hidalgo Moya]], the building is Grade II* listed<ref name="NHLE1393223">{{National Heritage List for England| num=1393223 |desc=Cripps Building at St John's College |grade=II* |access-date=20 January 2015}}</ref> having received an award from the British Architectural Institution. It is considered an exemplar of late 20th-century architectural style and is named after its main benefactor, [[Humphrey Cripps]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/default.asp?MIS=864 |title=Sir Humphrey Cripps, Honorary Fellow 1978 - 2000 |website=www.queens.cam.ac.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925004705/http://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/default.asp?MIS=864 |archive-date=25 September 2006}}</ref> In 2014, the building went through an extensive refurbishment programme, which saw renovated accommodation and structural repairs, including the cleaning of the [[Portland stone]] from which the building was made.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/cripps-building-1|title=The Cripps Building {{!}} St John's College, Cambridge|website=St John|access-date=2016-07-17}}</ref>

In 1987 the construction of the Fisher Building was completed. Named after Cardinal [[John Fisher]], the building contains teaching rooms, conference facilities, and a student-run college cinema. It was designed by the architect [[Peter Boston]].

Located opposite the college's Great Gate is All Saints' Yard. The complex is formed from the buildings of the so-called "Triangle Site", a collection of structures owned by the college. An extensive renovation project finished in Michaelmas Term 2012 had a budget of approximately £9.75 million. The centrepiece of the Yard is Corfield Court, named after the project's chief benefactor, [[Charles Corfield]]. The site can be entered through one of two card-activated gates or through the School of Divinity. The School of Divinity is the largest building on the site and was built between 1878 and 1879 by [[Basil Champneys]] for the University of Cambridge's divinity faculty on land leased by St John's College. Control of the building reverted to St John's when the faculty of divinity moved to a new building on the Sidgwick site in 2000.

{{wide image|St_John's_College_Cambridge_Second_Court_Panorama.jpg|1000px|The Second Court of St John's College}}