St John's College and the Bridge of Sighs

St John's College is one of the largest and richest of the Cambridge colleges, and many visitors rank it among the most beautiful. It was founded in 1511 by Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, and the Tudor brick Great Gate still carries her coat of arms with its yales and Tudor roses. Beyond the gate a series of courts opens in turn: First Court, Second Court with its ornate Tudor brickwork, and Third Court, which leads to the river. The chapel, designed by George Gilbert Scott in the nineteenth century, has a tall tower that is one of the most recognisable shapes on the Cambridge skyline. The star of the visit for most people is the Bridge of Sighs, a covered stone bridge across the Cam that dates from the 1830s and links the old courts with the Victorian New Court. Despite its name, it resembles Venice's Rialto Bridge more than the Bridge of Sighs, and it is a favourite subject for photographs, especially when seen from the nearby Kitchen Bridge or from a punt on the river. Famous members of the college include the poet William Wordsworth, the physicist Paul Dirac and the writer Douglas Adams.

Visiting rules at St John's change with the season and the university calendar, so treat any plan as provisional. The college has generally charged an entry fee for visitors, limits access to certain courts and sometimes restricts the chapel, and it closes completely at busy periods such as exams, graduation and events.

The Great Gate on St John's Street is the usual entrance, and visitors are asked to report to the porters. Check the college information before you go, because college access can change at short notice and the Bridge of Sighs itself is closed to the public and best admired from the outside.

There are good ways to see the best of it even when the grounds are limited. A self-guided walking tour that covers King's, Trinity and St John's gives you a route and background on all three, and it is a flexible choice if you prefer to set your own pace instead of joining a group.

A punt along the Backs passes beneath the Bridge of Sighs and the Kitchen Bridge and shows the college riverside, which is not otherwise open to visitors. A walk along the lane beside the college also gives views of the chapel tower and the gatehouse.

Allow about an hour if you enter the college, or a shorter time for a view from the street and the bridges. Come early or late in the day for the quietest courts and the best light on the brick and stone. St John's sits at the north end of the college row, a few minutes from the Round Church and the Market Square, so it fits naturally into a day that also takes in Trinity College and King's.

Dress comfortably, stay on the marked paths and treat it as the working college it is, where students live and study. If you only have time for one college interior, many visitors choose King's for the chapel, but St John's rewards a second visit for its quieter courts and the river views that you can see from the bridges. Respect any notices asking you to keep off the lawns.