Thursday 23 January 2014

A Pembroke Portfolio

Pembroke College may not be top of most visitors' itinerary but it is a very old college, it's in central Cambridge, it has a wide range of buildings in different styles, it has some lovely picturesque corners and it always seems a very friendly place. This is by no means an exhaustive account, just a few pictures I took on a day of bright, low-angled sunshine which made some shots impossible but enhanced others.



Statue of William Pitt The Younger,
youngest ever British Prime Minister 
when he was elected in 1783 at the age of 24.
He was educated at Pembroke.
(Yes, roses blooming in January!)


Ridley's Walk

A picturesque path leading between college buildings.








All the above photos were taken in the vicinity of Ridley's Walk, surely one of the most beautiful short strolls in Cambridge; even in mid-winter. It was named after Bishop Nicholas Ridley, former scholar at Pembroke, who was martyred in 1555, but there's also a plaque to Sir Harold Ridley, the eye-surgeon who pioneered lens implants after treating a fighter pilot who had been severely injured by Perspex splinters from the cockpit when his plane was shot down. Ridley operated on the man 19 times and restored the sight to one eye. But he also noticed that Perspex was not rejected by the body's immune system which led him to his breakthrough. 


Modern Architecture - Foundress Court






That crazy, slanting sunlight really lifted these shots.


Three Windows





...and a staircase straight out of Hogwarts.



The Chapel


A close-up of the old Bible on the lectern


And the interior of the Chapel,
a very early work of the great architect
Sir Christopher Wren
in the 1660s.

We will be back sometime to show you more, including the outside of the Chapel and the gardens in the spring or summer. Until then.....

Take care.


13 comments:

  1. a beautiful stately college building on Ridley's Walk. The final photo with SUCH green lawns; so much history. Thanks for sharing John

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  2. Wow, those slanting sunlight shots look like beautiful abstracts! Another marvelous stroll, and I enjoyed learning the Perspex story - so many tales and history imbued in these images.

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  3. You are a msster in presenting your town and its values - from old to new. I especially liked the first photo of the modern architecture.

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  4. What a neat place. I enjoy looking at the photos you take of places like this that I'll never see for myself.

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  5. It's hard to believe those photos were taken in mid-winter, there's so much foliage and even flowers in the pictures. Those old buildings are certainly full of character.

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  6. Ridley 's Walk looks very attractive, that's a beautiful Garrya elliptica with its silky tassels shining in the sun. A really interesting story about the origin of lens implants too.

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  7. I'd love to wander down Ridley's Walk. I love your sixth photo down of the arch with the window behind and the sunlight and shadows in your first Foundress court photo - beautiful:)

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  8. So many wonderful views. Especially like pics 2,6, & 9. And roses in January -how cool is that.

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  9. A beautiful collection of photos and architecture - some lovely scenes.

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  10. The modern stuff is dreadful, but the walk down Ridley's Walk showed many lovely buildings and views. It bears some resemblance to Yale.

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  11. These photos are magnificent. Ridley's walk is lovely with is architectural detail plus the plants along the walkway. Your entire post was a delight -- barbara

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  12. Beauty in everywhere, indeed! This is one of the most enchanting and comfortable walks you took us along. The capture of the slanting light is terrific.

    Yoko

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  13. An interesting tour. I glimpsed these briefly several weeks ago and meant to return to comment.

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