Trinity College was founded by Henry VIII, one month before he died in 1546. His likeness looms over the college's main gate. In his hands are the royal orb and... table leg? As part of a long-standing joke, college pranksters have swapped out the sceptre with a wooden table leg (and other objects through history).
The college grounds include buildings that were originally part of older (14th century) colleges (King's Hall and Michaelhouse). The Great Gate was built in the late 15th century for King's Hall. Also, King Edward's Tower was built in 1428 for King's Hall. The Tower was moved and incorporated into Trinity College's Great Court when it was designed in the 16th century. The tower's statue is Edward III (founder of King's Hall in 1337), who is wearing anachronistic Elizabethan armor and holding three crowns on his sword.
Complicated history. To think of it another way, the college of King's Hall existed for over 100 years (Lehigh University has been around just a few decades longer), then merged with Michaelhouse college to form a completely new college (Trinity). Imagine if Lehigh and Lafayette were to merge, and people wandered around looking at their original buildings 500 years later....
So, after marveling at the old architecture, we walked around the back of the campus to see Wren Library. Designed by Christopher Wren and built between 1676 and 1695, it houses many rare and ancient collections. We viewed Isaac Newton's first edition of Principia and one of his notebooks from 1659; a Shakespeare First Folio; and an 8th century copy of Epistles of Paul.
Trinity College Great Gate
Kindly porter, showing us inside
Henry VIII, holding his table leg
Great Court, with the Hall in the background
Great Court, with the Great Gate in the background
King Edward's Tower; chapel to the right
Exiting through Queen's Gate
Inside Wren Library
No comments:
Post a Comment