Downing College, Cambridge

Downing College is one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge, England. It was built in 1800 and has around 650 students.

Downing College from above

The name comes from Sir George Downing, who left money and land in his will to build a college when he died in 1749. However, not everyone in the family agreed with this. So, for many years until 1800 there were fights in courts until the judges decided that the will should be followed.

Some very famous people have studied at Downing College, like Quentin Blake, John Cleese and Thandie Newton.

Further reading

Rawle, Tim, A Classical Adventure: The Architectural History of Downing College, Cambridge, Cantabrigia, Oxbridge Portfolio, 2015, ISBN 978 0 9572867 4 0

Other websites

• Official website