29-596: Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge , England . 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 and for its gardens on
58-483: A Master , even when the Master is female. However, there are some exceptions, listed below. Girton College has always had a Mistress, even though male candidates have been able to run for the office since 1976. Also see List of current heads of University of Cambridge colleges . The above list does not include several former colleges that no longer exist. These include: Castle Street, Cambridge Castle Street
87-447: A missing section. A number of apocryphal stories circulate concerning this – one cited by members of the 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. Clare Bridge connects Old Court to Memorial Court, which
116-500: A range of facilities and services to their members in addition to accommodation, including: catering, library facilities, extracurricular societies, and sporting teams. Much of sporting life at Cambridge is centred around college teams and inter-collegiate competition in Cuppers . Student activity is typically organised through separate common rooms for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Another important element of collegiate life
145-405: A top University at an intimate level". Cambridge colleges provide most of the accommodation for undergraduates and postgraduates at the university. At the undergraduate level they have responsibility for admitting students to the university, providing pastoral support, and organising elements of their tuition, though lectures and examinations are organised by the faculties and departments of
174-410: Is formal hall , which range in frequency from weekly to every night of the week during Full Term. Colleges also provide funding, accommodation, or both, for some of the academic posts in the university, with the majority of Cambridge academics being a fellow of a college in addition to their faculty/departmental role. Fellows may therefore hold college positions in addition to their academic posts at
203-429: Is a street in the north of central Cambridge , England. To the southeast is a junction with Northampton Street , Magdalene Street , and Chesterton Lane (leading to Chesterton Road ). To the northwest is a junction with Mount Pleasant , Huntingdon Road (leading northwest out of Cambridge), Histon Road (leading north out of Cambridge), and Victoria Road . To the northeast is St Giles' Church , Castle Hill ,
232-632: Is known 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 . Clare's student newspaper, Clareification , 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 student antics, and college gossip in
261-662: The May Bumps competition. The undergraduates of Clare College were 12th in the 2024 Tompkins Table , based on degree results. Clare was in the top ten colleges in the Tompkins Table 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
290-670: 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 had provoked international protest when they first appeared in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. Clare holds an annual May ball on
319-426: The "old" colleges and 7 of the 15 "new" ones admit both male and female students as both undergraduates and postgraduates, without any age restrictions. Eight colleges restrict entry by sex, or by age of undergraduates, or admit only postgraduates: No colleges are all-male, although most originally were. Darwin , founded in 1964, was the first mixed college, while in 1972 Churchill , Clare and King's colleges were
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#1732788087176348-494: The 13th and 20th centuries. No colleges were founded between 1596 ( Sidney Sussex College ) and 1800 ( Downing College ), which allows the colleges to be distinguished into two groups according to foundation date: The oldest college is Peterhouse , founded in 1284, and the newest is Robinson , founded in 1977. Homerton , which was first founded in the eighteenth century as a dissenting academy (and later teacher training college), attained full college status in 2010. All 16 of
377-526: 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. A new court, Lerner Court, designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects , was opened in January 2008. It occupies the last piece of undeveloped land in the central area of
406-603: The Backs (the rear of the colleges that overlook the River Cam ). It is a registered charity . The college was founded in 1326 by the university's chancellor , Richard Badew , 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 , which provided for twenty fellows and ten students. The college
435-415: The College next to Memorial Court and houses a lecture theatre, catering, fellows offices, residential accommodation and a student laundry. A detached area of student accommodation, Castle Court, is between Castle Street and Chesterton Lane , on Castle Hill , north of the city centre. Clare is known as a liberal and progressive college. In 1972 it became one of the three male Cambridge colleges that led
464-416: The Master of neighbouring Caius College . Its altarpiece is Annunciation by Cipriani . Old Court frames King's College Chapel in views from the Backs. Clare has a bridge over the River Cam 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 building. Fourteen stone balls decorate it, one of which has
493-557: The Monday of May Week in the middle of June. It is one of the largest May balls in Cambridge and is known for securing popular headliners. Clare Boat Club 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
522-581: The University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is composed of 31 colleges in addition to the academic departments and administration of the central university. Until the mid-19th century, both Cambridge and Oxford comprised a group of colleges with a small central university administration, rather than universities in the common sense. Cambridge's colleges are communities of students, academics and staff – an environment in which generations and academic disciplines are able to mix, with both students and fellows experiencing "the breadth and excellence of
551-433: The arrival of classicism 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 architecture , 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 ,
580-414: The central university. All degrees are awarded by the university itself, not the colleges, and all students study for the same course regardless of which college they attend. For postgraduate students, research is conducted centrally in the faculties, departments and other university-affiliated research centres, though the colleges provide a central social and intellectual hub for students. Colleges provide
609-531: The city of Cambridge (for example Ridley Hall , Wesley House , Westcott House and Westminster College ) that are affiliated with the university through the Cambridge Theological Federation . These colleges, while not officially part of the University of Cambridge, operate programmes that are either validated by or are taught on behalf either of the university or of Anglia Ruskin or Durham Universities. Most colleges are led by
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#1732788087176638-487: The college. Murray Edwards does not place this restriction on fellows. The Cambridge and Oxford colleges have served as an architectural inspiration for Collegiate Gothic architecture, used by a number of American universities including Princeton University , Cornell University , University of Chicago , and Washington University in St. Louis since the late nineteenth century. There are also several theological colleges in
667-416: The first previously all-male colleges to admit women, whilst King's formerly only accepted students from Eton College . The last all-male college to become mixed was Magdalene , in 1988. In 1973 Hughes Hall became the first all-female college to admit men, and Girton first admitted men in 1979. Newnham also places restrictions on the admission of staff members, allowing only women to become fellows of
696-584: The location of Cambridge Castle , and the Cambridgeshire Shire Hall. To the southwest is St Peter's Church and Honey Hill. On the corner of Castle Street and Northampton Street is the Museum of Cambridge , formerly the Cambridge & County Folk Museum. Also here is Kettle's Yard , a former home and now a modern art gallery and place for reflection. St Giles' Church , St Peter's Church and Castle Street Methodist Church are beside
725-504: The table. In 2019, it fell to 24th place. In 2022, it rose to 12th place. Entrance into Clare College is competitive, with approximately five applicants per place. However, the high quality of applicants means that many of them are awarded places at other colleges through the Winter Pool . Of applicants in 2007, 151 were given offers by Clare, and a further 75 applicants were made offers at other Cambridge colleges. Colleges of
754-519: The university: these include roles such as Tutor (responsible for pastoral support), Director of Studies (responsible for academic oversight of students taking a particular subject), Dean (responsible for discipline among college members), Senior Tutor (responsible for the college's overall academic provision), or Head of college ('Head of House'). Colleges are self-governed charities in their own right, with their own endowments and possessions. The University of Cambridge has 31 colleges, founded between
783-405: The way in admitting female undergraduates (the other two being Churchill and King's ). Clare continues in this tradition and has been praised for the transparency of its admissions process. Clare is known as a musical college in Cambridge. Its choir has performed all over the world. Clare College Music Society is well known, particularly the orchestra. As well as jazz and comedy nights, Clare
812-526: Was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and dedicated in 1926. The new court, west of Queen's Road , was conceived as a memorial to the Clare men who lost their lives in the First World War. The monumental arch which forms the entrance to the court accommodates a large bell and carries the names of Clare alumni who died in both world wars. Memorial Court is Grade II* listed, Memorial Court was extended in
841-503: 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 a postgraduate institution in 1966.) Women were accepted as undergraduates in 1972, one of the first three previously all-male colleges to do so. Clare's Old Court, a Grade I listed building , was built between 1638 and 1715, with a long interruption for the English Civil War . The period spans
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