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**Fitzwilliam College**
	Colleges of the University of Cambridge; Fitzwilliam College
College name	Fitzwilliam College
Named after	Fitzwilliam Street (original location),; which was named after the Fitzwilliam Museum,; which was named after the 7th Viscount FitzWilliam
Established	1966 (1869 as a non-collegiate body)
Previously named	Fitzwilliam Hall (non-collegiate) (1869–1924),; Fitzwilliam House (non-collegiate) (1924–1966)
Admittance	Men and women
Master	Professor Robert Lethbridge
Undergraduates	474
Graduates	180
Sister college	St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Location	Storey's Way (map)
	Ex antiquis et novissimis optima; (Latin, "The best of old and new")
	College website
	Boat Club website

Fitzwilliam College

Fitzwilliam College (often referred to as "Fitz") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.

The college was formed out of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a body which was founded in 1869, based at Fitzwilliam Hall (later renamed Fiztwilliam House), opposite the Fitzwilliam Museum in central Cambridge. The Non-Collegiate Students Board eventually become Fitzwilliam College in 1966 and moved to its present site in the north of the city. Female undergraduates were first admitted in 1979.

The earliest clear evidence of settlement in Cambridge are the remains of a 3,500-year-old farmstead discovered on the College site.^[1]

[edit] Foundation

In 1869, the statues of Cambridge University were altered allow men who were not members of a college to become members of the university under the supervision of a censor, whose office was in Trumpington Street, opposite the Fitzwilliam Museum (the university's art and antiquities museum). This arrangement allowed them to compete for scholarships, sit examinations and be admitted to degrees. The house in Trumpington Street was named Fitzwilliam Hall because of its proximity to the museum, and became the headquarters of the Non-Collegiate Students Board and a residence for students who could not afford membership of an established college. It was renamed Fitzwilliam House in 1922.

Fitzwilliam House decided that it should aim to achieve collegiate status, and funds for this purpose were accumulated until the 1960s when it was able to expand. A new site was acquired about one mile north of the city centre, and the first new buildings were opened in 1963.

In 1966, Fitzwilliam House was granted a charter by the Queen-in-Council and became Fitzwilliam College.

[edit] Buildings and location

The main grounds of the College are located off Storey's Way, towards the north-west of Cambridge, close to Churchill College, Murray Edwards and Trinity Hall's Wychfield site. Its buildings are of contemporary design, in contrast to many of the University's other colleges. The first college courts and central building (comprising the library, dining hall, junior common room and bar) were designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and were completed in 1963. The original intention was for these buildings to constitute the 'back' of the college, and as funding became available, the college grew to the south, with New Court (1985) and Wilson Court (1994), and was finally completed with Gate house Court (2003) giving the college a new frontage. At the same time, the college concluded the new Auditorium building, so that it now has some of the best facilities in the University. The college surrounds the building called The Grove (1813) which has rooms for some fellows and graduates. The Chapel (1991) is an excellent example of modern architecture. The college is also well-known for its beautiful gardens. The tower of the new library is the highest point in Cambridge.

Fitzwilliam College is 20 minutes' walk away from the main tourist centre of Cambridge, and 15 minutes' walk from the West Cambridge site where the university concentrates most of the departments of mathematics, pure sciences and technology.

[edit] Image

The college's less traditional image helps to attract students who have the image of Cambridge being an elitist university. Former pupils of state schools usually comprise around 70–75% of the College's undergraduates; however, many of these are from provincial grammar schools and the leading comprehensive schools in the Home Counties, so membership is somewhat less balanced than the figures may suggest.

[edit] Activities

Music at the college is particularly strong, and Fitz is the only college in Cambridge to have a resident professional string quartet, the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, who visit for performances and workshops at least once every term. As well as its own Chapel Choir, the college is home to numerous other singing groups, including Fitz Barbershop, and the Sirens — both perform regularly throughout the university. Fitz is also heavily involved in the Orchestra on the Hill, whose membership is drawn from the 'hill' colleges, performing large scale works on a termly basis. The college also hosts the ‘Fitz Swing’ band – a jazz group with a reputation for providing excellent entertainment at the May Balls. Other music ensembles include Fitzwilliam Chamber Opera, the new music group Ensemble CB3 and Fitzwilliam Baroque Ensemble.

On a less formal basis, Fitzwilliam College is renowned for having some of the best student entertainment of the Cambridge Colleges in the form of 'Fitz Ents'. These student-organised parties are usually held at least once every term and attract many different musical acts including live performances from student bands to professional DJs.

'Fitztheatre', the 'hill' college drama society is based at Fitzwilliam's auditorium, one of the largest and best equipped in the University, opened in 2004.

There are also a number of academic societies.

[edit] Sport

Sports teams play a large part in college life; the college is particularly strong in football, having won the league in 2005 (winning every game on the way) and Cuppers in 2006. The college is lucky enough to have three of its own squash courts on the main site which are newly refurbished and among the best^{[peacock term]} in the university (the Cambridge University Squash club hold their training sessions there).

[edit] The First Undergraduate Statue

Recently, there has arisen a tradition that Fitz students taking Tripos Examinations offer prayer, and often a small sacrifice of consumable produce, to a statue depicting "The First Undergraduate" in the hope that this will grant them at least a pass grade in their examinations. This ritual is completed either individually, or in small groups of people sitting the same subject, on the night before their first examination.

[edit] Notable alumni

Name	Birth	Death	Career
Subhas Chandra Bose	1897	1945	Indian revolutionary
Bernard Orchard	1910	2006	English monk and biblical scholar
Lee Kuan Yew	1923		Former prime minister of Singapore
Sir Louis Blom-Cooper	1926		Lawyer
Humphrey Burton	1931		British music broadcaster
Owen Spencer-Thomas	1940		Television and radio broadcaster
Norman Lamont	1942		Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Vincent Cable	1943		British politician
David Starkey	1945		Television historian
Christopher Martin-Jenkins	1945		Cricket journalist and broadcaster
Nick Drake	1948	1974	English singer-songwriter
Ahmed Rashid	1948		Journalist, author
Mike Gapes	1952		British politician
Peter Bazalgette	1953		Popularised Big Brother in the UK
Derek Pringle	1958		Cricketer
John Yates	1959		Metropolitan Police Head of Counter Terrorism
Giles Foden	1967		Author
Andy Burnham	1970		British politician
Brian Dooley	1971		Television writer
Maurizio Giuliano	1975		Journalist and writer
Julia Goldsworthy	1978		British politician

The Fitzwilliam 2006 Yearbook is online.

[edit] Gallery

College sign on Huntingdon Road (Removed to make way for building works as of late May 2008)	Main Hall in summer	Main Hall in winter	Main Hall in twilight
Inside the main building	College library	Gatehouse Court	Gatehouse Court
Wilson Court	The Grove	Inside the Chapel	New Court
Auditorium	Tree Court in the snow