SIDNEY SUSsex COLLEGE

Sidney’s close-knit community, beautiful grounds, and ideal city-centre location are just a few reasons why our students love Sidney. Sidney has many on-site facilities including a refurbished gym, squash court, spectacular wooden chapel, music room, library, bar, sports ground, boat club and plentiful computing facilities. Dining is held in a beautiful hall with the Sidney Catering Department being widely regarded as one of the best in Cambridge.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SIDNEY SUSsex COLLEGE

1. Cromwell’s head

Oliver Cromwell was one of Sidney’s earliest students when he began his studies in 1616, twenty years after the College was founded. Cromwell went on to become a controversial figure who led the Parliament of England’s armies against King Charles I during the English Civil War, and ruled the British Isles as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death, after a short illness, in 1658.

Cromwell was subjected to a posthumous execution in 1661 for regicide, and his severed head was displayed on top of the same building within which Charles I had been sentenced to death over a decade earlier.

Cromwell’s head changed ownership multiple times until it was eventually buried in a secret location near the Sidney Sussex antechapel in 1960.

2. Founded on Valentine’s Day in 1596

Sidney Sussex was founded on St Valentine’s Day in 1596 by our Foundress, Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. Sidney is the youngest of the traditional Cambridge Colleges, and it was not until around 200 years after Sidney’s foundation that the next Cambridge College would emerge.

Sidney’s buildings are a fantastic blend of old and new. Characterful buildings dating back to the College’s founding years greet you at the front of College, while beautiful additions can be found elsewhere including the baroque dining hall and striking Cloister Court with its red brick hinting at its Victorian roots. Student accommodation ranges from traditional rooms situated along staircases, to modern accommodation blocks housing facilities like the library, gym, laundrette, and bar.

3. Student-run bar

Sidney’s bar remains one of the only student-run College bars in the University and is one of the cheapest in Cambridge. It serves a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and is designed to be a space that is welcoming to the whole College community.

Students can kick back and enjoy a game of pool or table football, or just relax and enjoy the beautiful views looking out across the Master’s garden. The Students’ Union’s Entertainments team organise bops (themed parties), quiz nights, and silent discos (a much loved Sidney favourite).

Sidney’s Students’ Union provide all kinds of events throughout the academic calendar, some more serious than others. For example, the Academic Welfare Officer runs workshops on revision and exam preparation for first year students, but our welfare team also bring a host of bouncy castles to Sidney’s gorgeous gardens once a year to combat any possible revision blues.