Clare College is a constituent college of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded in 1338 as ''Clare Hall'' by an endowment from Elizabeth de Clare, and took on its current name in 1856. Clare is famous for its chapel

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and for its gardens on "

The Backs The Backs is a picturesque 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, their grounds covering both banks of the river. National Trust chairm ...

" (the back of the colleges that overlook the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

). Clare is consistently one of the most popular Cambridge colleges amongst prospective applicants.

History

The college was founded in 1326 by the university's Chancellor,

Richard Badew Richard Badew (died 1361) was a Vice Chancellor and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in the 14th century. He was responsible for the foundation of University Hall, Cambridge A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) e ...

, and was originally named ''University Hall''. Providing maintenance for only two fellows, it soon hit financial hardship. In 1338, the college was refounded as ''Clare Hall'' by an endowment from Elizabeth de Clare, a granddaughter of

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

, which provided for twenty fellows and ten students.'The colleges and halls: Clare College', A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 3: The City and University of Cambridge (1959), pp. 340-346.
Date Accessed: 2 June 2010 The college was known as Clare Hall until 1856, when it changed its name to "Clare College". (A new " Clare Hall" was founded by Clare College as an exclusively postgraduate institution in 1966.)

Buildings

Old Court

Clare's Old Court, a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, frames

King's College Chapel King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bui ...

as the left border of one of the most celebrated architectural vistas in England. It was built between 1638 and 1715, with a long interruption for the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The period spans the arrival of true

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

into the mainstream of British architecture, such that its progress can be traced in the marked differences between the oldest wing to the north, which still has vaulting and other features in the unbroken tradition of English

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

, and the final southern block, which shows a fully articulated classic style. The college's chapel was built in 1763 and designed by Sir James Burrough, the Master of neighbouring Caius College. Its altarpiece is ''Annunciation'' by

Cipriani Cipriani S.A. is an Italian hotel and leisure company domiciled in Luxembourg that owns and operates luxury restaurants and clubs around the world including Harry's Bar in Venice and formerly the Rainbow Room in New York City. It specialises i ...

Clare Bridge

Clare has a much-photographed

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

over the

and is the oldest of Cambridge's current bridges. It was built of stone in 1640 by Thomas Grumbold and restored in 1969, and is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building. Fourteen stone balls decorate it, one of which has a missing section. A number of apocryphal stories circulate concerning this – the one most commonly cited by members of college is that the original builder of the bridge was not paid the full amount for his work and so removed the segment to balance the difference in payment. A more likely explanation is that a wedge of stone cemented into the ball as part of a repair job became loose and fell out.

Memorial Court

Clare's bridge connects Old Court to Memorial Court, which was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and dedicated in 1926. Memorial Court was extended in the 1950s by the construction of Thirkill Court, and was later divided into two parts when the College's Forbes Mellon Library was constructed in the centre of Memorial Court; the new courtyard created in the west was renamed Ashby Court.

Lerner Court

A new court, Lerner Court, designed by architects

van Heyningen and Haward van Heyningen and Haward is an architectural practice, founded in 1983 by Birkin Haward and Joanna van Heyningen, and now owned and managed by James McCosh and Meryl Townley. The London architects work primarily in education, and have also work ...

, was opened in January 2008. It occupies the last piece of undeveloped land in the central area of the College next to Memorial Court and houses a lecture theatre, catering, fellows offices, residential accommodation and a student laundry.

Gallery

File:Clare College, back of Old Court.jpeg, Old Court in Winter File:Clare Bridge over the River Cam.jpg, Clare Bridge, over the

File:Clare Bridge - ball with missing wedge.jpg, Clare Bridge's missing wedge File:Clare College, Cambridge, July 2010 (12).JPG, Inside the Great Hall File:Clare College, Scholars' Garden.jpg, The Scholars' Garden File:Clare College Chapel, Cambridge.jpg, College chapel File:Clare College, Cambridge - Lerner Court.jpg, Lerner Court File:Clare_College_Memorial_Court_02.JPG, Memorial Court File:Cambridge boathouses - Clare (2).jpg, Clare College boathouse File:Antechapel clare.jpg, Clare college chapel

Student life

Clare is known as a liberal and progressive college. In 1972 it became one of the three male Cambridge colleges that led the way in admitting female undergraduates (the other two being

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

and King's). Clare continues in this tradition and has won praise for the transparency of its admissions process. Clare-bar

Clare is known as one of the most musical colleges in Cambridge. Its

has performed all over the world. Many Clare students play instruments, and the Clare College Music Society is well known, particularly the orchestra. Like most Cambridge colleges, Clare allows students to have a piano in their college rooms.

Clare Ents

As well as popular jazz and comedy nights, Clare is renowned for Clare Ents, a student night held every Friday in term time. The night is popular with students across the university and in the past it has hosted such acts as Tinie Tempah, Bombay Bicycle Club and

Chase and Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in Ju ...

Clareification

Clare's student newspaper, ''

Clareification ''Clareification'' is the weekly student newsletter of Clare College, Cambridge, Clare College, a college of the University of Cambridge. Named as a pun on the college's name, it was padded out with comedy articles, gradually turning into a wee ...

'', won "Best University College Paper" in ''The Cambridge Student'' in 2005. Published by the Union of Clare Students, it comprises satirical articles mocking Cambridge traditions, reports on silly student antics, and college gossip in the "Clareifornication" column. On 3 February 2007 the college cut its funding to the paper following the publication of the guest-edited edition of 2 February, retitled ''Crucification''. In addition to the paper's usual satirical attacks on Christianity, this edition also featured several articles which mocked Islam, and a reproduction of the cartoon illustrations of the prophet Mohammed which provoked international protest when they first appeared in Danish newspaper '' Jyllands-Posten'' in September 2005.''

May Ball

Clare holds an annual

May ball A May Ball is a ball at the end of the academic year that takes place at any of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. They are elaborate and lavish formal affairs, requiring black tie or sometimes white tie, with ticket prices ranging f ...

on the Monday of

May Week May Week is the name used in the University of Cambridge to refer to a period at the end of the academic year. Originally May Week took place in the week during May before year-end exams began. Nowadays, May Week takes place in June after exam ...

in the middle of June. It is one of the largest may balls in Cambridge and is well known for securing popular headliners.

Clare Boat Club

Clare Boat Club Clare Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Clare College, Cambridge, it was founded in 1831. Like other college boat clubs at the University of Cambridge, the prime constitutional aim of Clare Boat Club is to gain and hold the Headship o ...

is the rowing club for current members of Clare College. There is a separate club, De Burgh Boat Club, for alumni. In 2012, Clare Boat Club had the highest membership relative to the size of its student body of any college-affiliated boat club in Cambridge, fielding six men's VIIIs in the

May Bumps The May Bumps (also May Races, Mays) are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of M ...

competition. The club's Head Coach and Boathouse Manager,

Anton Wright Anton Wright is an adventurer, rowing coach, and—alongside Mark de Rond—holder of the Guinness World Records, Guinness World Record for the first unsupported row of the navigable length of the Amazon River. Career Clare College, Cambridg ...

, appeared on Channel 4's year-long reality TV show, Eden.

Old Court Panorama

File:Clare_panroama.jpg

Academic performance

The undergraduates of Clare College have usually performed very well based on the results published in the Tompkins Table, placing Clare within the top ten colleges from 2000 to 2005. However, their performance in the following years (2006–09) was poorer, leaving them in 12th in 2006 and 18th in 2009. Their 2010 performance (8th position) however showed an increase of 10 places over their previous year's performance, and in 2011 they reached fourth place. In 2018, Clare placed 16th out of 29 colleges recorded in the table. In 2019, it fell to 24th place. In 2022, it rose to 12th place. Entrance into Clare College is competitive. Overall, Clare has approximately five applicants per place. Yet the high quality of applicants means that many of them are awarded places at other colleges through the

Winter Pool The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

. Of applicants in 2007, 151 were given offers by Clare, and a further 75 applicants were made offers at other Cambridge colleges.

People associated with Clare College

File:Elizabeth de Clare.jpg, Elizabeth de Clare, 11th Lady of Clare, writer, founder, and patron File:Kwame Anthony Appiah by David Shankbone.jpg,

Kwame Anthony Appiah Kwame Akroma-Ampim Kusi Anthony Appiah ( ; born 8 May 1954) is a philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist whose interests include political and moral theory, the philosophy of language and mind, and African intellectual history. Appiah wa ...

, philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist File:Lord Cornwallis.jpg, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Royal Army officer File:S. Baring-Gould portrait.PNG,

Sabine Baring-Gould Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 ...

, Anglican priest and novelist File:Tim Hunt at UCSF 05 2009 (4).jpg,

Sir Tim Hunt Sir Richard Timothy Hunt, (born 19 February 1943) is a British biochemist and molecular physiologist. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Paul Nurse and Leland H. Hartwell for their discoveries of protein molecu ...

, biochemist and physiologist File:Hugh Latimer from NPG.jpg, Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, Oxford Martyr of Anglicanism File:1stDukeOfNewcastleOld.jpg, Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, former

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

File:John Rutter.jpg, John Rutter, musician, composer and conductor File:Viscount Sydney by Gilbert Stuart.jpg,

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney. He held several important Cabinet posts in t ...

, former

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

File:Andrew wiles1-3.jpg, Sir Andrew Wiles, mathematician, solved Fermat's Last Theorem File:Rowan Williams -001b.jpg, Rowan Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian, and poet File:Henry Louis Gates 2014 (cropped).jpg,

Henry Louis Gates Jr. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker, who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African Ame ...

, American historian and filmmaker File:David Attenborough (cropped).jpg, alt=Sir David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough, naturalist, historian, and broadcaster File:Gillian Tett FT Autumn Party 2014 crop.jpg,

Gillian Tett Gillian Tett (born 10 July 1967) is a British author and journalist at the ''Financial Times'', where she is chair of the editorial board and editor-at-large, US. She has written about the financial instruments that were part of the cause of the ...

, financial journalist and author File:Duleepsinhji 1920s.jpg,

Duleepsinhji Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (13 June 1905 – 5 December 1959) was a cricketer who played for England. Playing in the era before the Indian cricket team, he is considered one of India's first great batsmen, alongside his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who also ...

, cricketer and Indian public servant

References

External links

Clare College, Cambridge official websiteUnion of Clare Students (JCR) websiteClare MCR website
{{authority control Colleges of the University of Cambridge Educational institutions established in the 14th century Grade I listed buildings in Cambridge Grade I listed educational buildings 1326 establishments in England