Senate House in Cambridge is the University’s 18th-century ceremonial building, designed by James Gibbs and built in 1722–1730 in a neo-classical style. It was originally intended as part of a larger quadrangle, but the rest of the scheme was never completed, which is why the Senate House stands alone today.
The building was first meant for the University Senate’s meetings, then gradually became best known as the place for degree congregations and other formal university ceremonies. It sits between King’s College and Gonville & Caius College, right in the centre of Cambridge’s historic university quarter. Results are traditionally posted on the outside of the building on graduation days, which has made it a small focal point of university ritual and anxiety.
Senate House is one of Cambridge’s key Georgian buildings, with a restrained classical façade rather than the more gothic look many people associate with the city. Its Portland stone and balanced proportions give it a very formal, almost civic feel, which suits its ceremonial purpose.
Interesting facts…
In June 1958, a group of engineering students hoisted a battered Austin Seven van onto the building overnight, and it was still there the next morning, baffling onlookers and authorities. The students had spent months planning the stunt and used a makeshift lifting rig made from scaffolding poles. It took a week for authorities to work out how to get it down!