Our gardens

Our beautiful gardens, which are informal in keeping with the College's modern and relaxed feel, stretch across 14 acres. The colours and scents change with the seasons, and the wild areas are havens for birds, deer, foxes and other wildlife.

We encourage our students to enjoy the gardens and, in contrast to most colleges, students and all in our community are welcome to walk on the grass and pick flowers and herbs. In 2007 we were the first Cambridge college to take part in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Our garden, the Transit of Venus, won the Bronze Flora medal in the Chic Garden category.

The College is built in the grounds of The Orchard, a large house part-owned by Nora Barlow, granddaughter of Charles Darwin and a distinguished plantswoman. Beech trees, fruit trees and shrubs from that time are still in the gardens today.

It was Dame Rosemary Murray, our first President, who planned and planted the gardens around the College in an informal style. The herbaceous border at the end of the Library was her particular favourite and this area is now known as the Rosemary Murray Garden.