Alma mater of six prime ministers (including India's Manmohan Singh), poet William Wordsworth, anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce and Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), St John's is highly photogenic. Founded in 1511 by Henry VII's mother, Margaret Beaufort, it sprawls along both riverbanks, connected by the ecclesiastical-looking Bridge of Sighs, a masterpiece of stone tracery and a common focus for student pranks. Contact the college for current hours and entry fees.
Over the bridge is the 19th-century New Court, an extravagant neo-Gothic creation, and out to the left are impressive views of the Backs. Parts of the college are much older and the chapel, though smaller than King's, is one of Cambridge's most striking.
