History

Trinity Hall was founded by Bishop Bateman of Norwich in 1350, making it the fifth oldest surviving college of the University of Cambridge. It was originally founded, in the words of William Bateman himself, 'for the promotion of divine worship and of canon and civil science and direction of the commonwealth and especially of our church and diocese of Norwich'. The rationale behind this stated purpose may well be attributed to the Black Death of 1349, a disaster which, among other things, had resulted in a shortage of clergymen and lawyers. To this day, the College maintains a very strong tradition in the study of Law.

Many have wondered about the use of the name 'Hall'. In the early days of college foundations in Oxford and Cambridge, the Collegium only referred to the group of scholars who inhabited an Aula or Hall. It later became fashionable to adopt the name Collegium, or College, for the entity, and Pembroke Hall, for instance, became Pembroke College. Trinity Hall's room for manoeuvre in changing to College was, of course, restricted by King Henry VIII's foundation of his own college, Trinity College, next door, nearly two hundred years after Trinity Hall's foundation. So Trinity Hall remains Trinity Hall, or The Hall for short.

Every generation has made its contribution to the College. In 1975, provisions were made for a new Junior Combination Room, bar, a music room, lecture theatre and terrace. 1998 saw the completion of a new undergraduate library in Latham Court. Overlooking the river Cam and housing 30,000 books, the Jerwood Library (named after its general sponsor, the Jerwood Foundation) has won particular acclaim for its design and notable aesthetic contribution to the Cambridge riverscape. This building was opened by Lord Howe, an alumnus of the College, in 1999. A reading room and a new seminar room have been added to the original range of buildings. The attic has also been converted to become the College Computer Room with space for 20 students. In total, the new Jerwood Library provides study spaces for 100 students. In addition to these facilities the College has a number of public rooms for meetings and parties, the last of which, the newly refurbished Graham Storey Room, replaces the old undergraduate library. This room was opened by Her Majesty The Queen when she visited the College in November 2000 during the College's anniversary celebrations.

Altogether, Trinity Hall, with its gardens, its architecture and its riverside site, hidden between its larger neighbours, is one of the most attractive colleges in Cambridge. Of course we are prejudiced, but Henry James went even further: “If I were called upon to mention the prettiest corner of the world, I should draw a thoughtful sigh and point the way to the gardens of Trinity Hall.”

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