NEWNHAM COLLEGE

Welcome to Newnham – the College where you can walk on the grass! That sums us up – we’re friendly, informal, and try to break down the barriers between students and Fellows, so that everyone can learn from each other. One thing that makes us special – Newnham is a College for women, led by women. It’s a place where you’ll see women hold the most senior roles, and where you’ll have the support to reach your full potential. Newnham aims to be a voice for equality and diversity across the University, and we’re very proud of that. We were founded in 1871 by a group of radical women and men, who thought that women should have equal rights to the best educational opportunities. One of our founders was the suffragist and campaigner Millicent Garrett Fawcett, whose famous words ‘Courage calls to courage everywhere’ have become a motto for us.

STUDENT LIFE AT NEWNHAM COLLEGE

The buildings and gardens of Newnham College are stunning – but more importantly, it’s a place where you can be yourself. Newnham is a space for learning, research and teaching, and for friendship, support and challenge. More than just a place of education, Newnham is a home away from home!

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT NEWNHAM

1.We have an amazing history, which we are very proud of…

Founded almost 150 years ago by a group of radicals, Newnham College continues to challenge stereotypes and limitations in the twenty-first century. Around the College there are many reminders of the difficulties faced by past students, and the ways in which they rose to the challenges facing them.

The ornate Clough Gates, which mark the entrance to Newnham, have had a troubled history. They were damaged in 1921 when a group of male students, celebrating the defeat of a vote to grant women degrees on the same basis as men, used a handcart to destroy the bottom of the gates. This vandalism was especially distressing for staff and students because the gates were a memorial to the first Principal of Newnham College, Anne Jemima Clough. They have been restored, but the gates still symbolise the struggles of women who sought an education at this time.

The fight for equal rights was not limited to the university of course – our treasured Suffragist Protest Banner was created by students of Newnham and Girton Colleges, and carried in the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies’ procession of 13 June 1908. Now, the banner is kept safely in climate-controlled conditions near the College Hall, while a replica hangs in our library.

The Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies is a more recent addition to Newnham College life. It is a research centre for ‘outstanding women working in the fields of development policy and social change’, made possibly by a legacy from Dame Margaret Anstee, an alumna of Newnham College and the first woman Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. The Centre is a great example of the ways in which members of the College have been inspired by Newnham’s past, to make a difference in the future.

2. We are a ‘green’ College in more ways than one…

The gardens of Newnham College are one of the best kept secrets in Cambridge.?Unlike many Cambridge colleges, Newnham’s gardens are normally open to the public for much of the year, and (of course) you can walk on the grass!

As well as providing a space for students to work and relax, the gardens are home to a variety of wildlife including common pipistrelle bats, squirrels, badgers and even the occasional visiting muntjac deer. The only part of the gardens which is out of bounds to human visitors is our wildflower meadow.

We recognise that spending time outside can help people de-stress, so our wonderful gardening team are keen to get students to help out whenever they can. They run garden wellbeing workshops which are open to all students – these have included growing vegetables and planting bluebells to create our own miniature bluebell wood.

Our beautiful surroundings are a constant reminder of the need to take care of the world around us, and Newnham staff and students are committed to making the College as sustainable as possible. The Catering Department promotes Fairtrade produce and tries to source as much daily produce as possible locally, as well as encouraging the use of fresh seasonal ingredients. We work to minimise food waste, and encourage recycling around College wherever possible.

This year, Newnham students held their first ever Green Week, which involved talks from College fellows, a clothes swap, vegan potluck and even a green-themed party!

3. We have the best café in Cambridge! Final-year student Orla Horan explains why, in her ‘love letter to the Iris Café’…

On its face, the popularity of the Iris is not hard to understand. With a scrumptious array of food – filled focaccia, toasted English muffins, pert pastries – and service with a smile, the Iris consistently proved to be worth the wait. Once you have navigated the masses from Sidgwick Site and made it out of the sprawling queue, you can sit and enjoy your food under a very impressive light sculpture made from letters of famed Newnhamites.

Incredible food and decor aside, my fixation with Newnham Café might still seem unwarranted. After nearly three years in one of the most beautiful cities, with its cobbled streets and hidden courts, you might expect my love letter to be written to somewhere grander (or to an actual person). But, as most finalists will tell you – the cynics that we are – the obvious beauty of Cambridge sometimes starts to fade in amongst the stress walks to supervisions and late night library trips. In contrast, Newnham Café, with its more understated girl next door (to Sidgwick Site) charm, has been a reliable source of solace for the last two years.

It has been the venue for countless coffee mornings with my college wife, discussing dates and her fashion Instagram, and waffle weekends with rowers where we discuss, you guessed it, rowing.?Even when Newnham Café closes for the day, it would remain the focal point for my friendship group into the early hours. It is where we would sit and wait for our group Deliveroo orders or attempt to work late but end up chatting the night away.

Clearly, Newnham Café to me is so much more than a provider of coffee and cake. It has become a bit like the living room in my home, a place where I am able to chat in comfort with my friends who have fast become family.