Darwin COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

Founded in 1964, Darwin was the first college to focus on postgraduate students only, followed by Clare Hall two years later in 1966. Darwin was also the first college to admit both men and women. There are around 600 students, known as Darwinians, from 75 counties. 

History

The college was named after the family of one of Cambridge’s most influential and well known alumni, Charles Dawrin, who studied at Christ college between 1927 – 1831. Although he initially trained to become a priest, Charles Darwin became a member of a 5 year exploration upon the HMS Beagle, where he began to develop his theory of evolution,which was later published in his groundbreaking book, ‘The Origin Of Species’ in 1858.

The name of the college was chosen due to the land upon which the college sits, which was formerly owned by Charles Darwin’s second son, George Darwin. Following the death of George Darwin’s son in 1962, the land was donated to the university along with the family home, from which the original college buildings were built. 

The college was founded through a joint effort between 3 of the older colleges – Gonville & Caius, St. John’s and Trinity – following the growing number of graduate students after WW2.

 

 

Alumni

Some of the most influential alumni include Jane Goodan DBE, a leading world expert on chimpanzees who spent 60 years studying chimps in the wild; Dian Fossy, another Primatologist who studied chimpanzees in the wild and author of the book Gorillas in the Mist, which was adapted into a movie following her murder in 1965. 

What Our Customers Say

  • ★★★★★
    Fabulous tour with Baby G "The weather was glorious as we approached the friendly staff and embarked on our punting tour... helped into the punt and wrapped in a lovely blanket to keep out any doring chills, we set off."
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  • ★★★★★
    Perfect "My mom and I had a lovely, relaxing, and silly time with our punting guide Jobe (or Joe? his subtle French accent had me distracted so I couldn’t tell for sure which). The weather was perfect, we learned some really cool things about Cambridge, its schools and bridges, and all of our questions were answered with a smile. I highly recommend this activity!"
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  • ★★★★★
    Best hour spent in Cambridge! "This was a last-minute decision after visiting Cambridge for the Christmas Fayre and found ourselves with plenty of spare time on our hands. Best decision we made!"
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  • ★★★★★
    Great guide "George is absolutely amazing - passionate, polite, and knowledgeable. Weather was typical and cold but he made the tour fun and enjoyable."
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  • ★★★★★
    Great experience! Well organised and great knowledgeable guide!! "Great experience! Well organised and great knowledgeable guide!! Felt safe whilst in and getting out of the boat. Stories told were great as our guide was very knowledgeable about the area! Would def do again in the summer!!"
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  • ★★★★★
    Ollie was the best guide EVER 🙌!!! "I took this tour on my own while tagging along with my husband as he was on a business trip in Cambridge. Although it was SUPER cold it was worth the chill! Ollie was the PERFECT guide 🙌!"
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