Christ’s College Gardens

Christ’s College has 4 courts, which can be visited free of charge when open. 

First Court is the oldest part of the college and dates back to its foundation in 1505. It has the only circular lawn out of all 31 colleges. The Second Court has formal lawns and fellow buildings which date back to 1640. Third Court contains a collection of Irises and salviass, which began in 1946. 

Darwin Garden was added in 2009 to celebrate the century of Charles Darwin. The garden contains a statue of a young Charles Darwin and a selection of plants that Darwin would have encountered during his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was an English Naturalist and author of the revolutionary work on biological evolution, On the Origin of Species, published in 1859. One of the most famous alumni to graduate from Cambridge university, Darwin was admitted to Christ College on the 15th of October 1827, where he studied to become a clergyman as his father had intended. 

Darwin graduated in 1831, but rather than join a parish, he embarked upon a 5 year voyage on the HMS Beagle. During this time, Darwin collected specimens and began to develop his theory of natural selection. Following his return, he stayed for a brief time on Fitzwilliam street to organise his specimen collection, before moving to London in 1837 to publish his geological and biological findings.