University sights in England
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A
Trinity College
Trinity College is one of the largest, wealthiest and most attractive colleges. It was established in 1546 by Henry VIII, whose statue peers out from the top niche of the great gateway (he’s holding a chair leg instead of the royal sceptre, the result of a student prank). Check the website for frequent free entry periods. The Great Court, the largest in either Cambridge or Oxford, incorporates some fine 15th-century buildings. Beyond the Great Court are the cloisters of Nevile’s Court and the dignified Wren Library, built by Sir Christopher in the 1680s.
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B
Church of St Bene't
The oldest structure in the county, the Saxon tower of this Franciscan church was built around 1025. The round holes above the belfry windows were designed to offer owls nesting privileges; they were valued as mouse killers. The church also has a Bible that belonged to Thomas Hobson, owner of a nearby livery stable, who told customers they could hire any horse they liked as long as it was the one nearest the door - hence the term 'Hobson's choice', meaning no choice at all.
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C
Cambridge University
Five of the university colleges - King's, Queens', Clare, Trinity and St John's - charge tourist admission. Some other colleges deem visitors too disruptive and often deny them entry. Most colleges close to visitors for the Easter term and all are closed for exams from mid-May to mid-June. Opening hours vary year to year, so contact the colleges, the tourist office or the university's central information service for updates.
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Oxford University
Thirty-nine colleges make up the university, their elegant honey-coloured buildings wrapping around winding cobbled streets and attracting hoards of tourists each year. Yet despite the rushing traffic and throngs of people, inside their jealously guarded quadrangles an aura of studious calm descends. The oldest colleges date back almost 750 years and little has changed inside the hallowed walls since then.
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D
Queen Mary, University of London
A short distance to the west of Mile End Station is the campus of Queen Mary, University of London. It contains Novo Sephardic Cemetery, founded in 1733 by Spanish and Portuguese Jews. In the mid-1970s, when the college was expanding, some 7500 graves were emptied and the remains reburied in unmarked sites in Brentwood. These included the bones of the celebrated pugilist Daniel Mendoza.
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E
Divinity School
On the west side of the Bodleian Library's Old Schools Quadrangle is the Divinity School , the university's first examination room. It is renowned as a masterpiece of 15th-century English Gothic architecture and has a superb fan-vaulted ceiling. A self-guided audio tour to these areas is available.
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St William's College
Owned by the minster since the 15th century, St William's College is an attractive half-timbered Tudor building with elegant oriel windows built for the minster's chantry priests.
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G
Oxford Brookes
Oxford's lesser-known university.
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H
University of Manchester
About a mile south of the city, the University of Manchester is one of England's most extraordinary institutions, and not just because it is a top-class university with a remarkable academic pedigree and a great place to party. It is also home to a world-class museum and a superb art gallery. Take bus 11, 16, 41 or 42 from Piccadilly Gardens or bus 47, 190 or 191 from Victoria station.
Manchester Museum
If you're into natural history and social science, this extraordinary museum is the place for you. It has galleries devoted to archaeology, archery, botany, ethnology, geology, numismatics and zoology. The real treat here, though, is the Egyptology section and its…
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