Robinson College, Cambridge

Robinson College is one of the colleges making up the University of Cambridge.

It was founded as the direct result of an offer of £18 million by the British philanthropist David Robinson to endow a large new College. The first undergraduate students (20 of them) were admitted in 1979, but significant numbers only began arriving the next year. The college was formally opened by the Queen in 1981. Robinson is the newest of the Cambridge colleges, and consequently the only one that has always been open to students of both sexes.

The college is located west of the city centre, opposite the Cambridge University Library. The main entrance is via a drawbridge-style ramp, which is accessible to wheelchair users. There are some special facilities at the college for those with physical or visual disabilities. The architecture of the college is distinctive for its generous use of red bricks as a construction material.

Because of its modern facilities, the college is also one of Cambridge's most important conference centres, and it always hosts conferences during the summer months when it is not being inhabited by undergraduate students.

The Needham Research Institute is located in the college grounds.

Notable Alumni

• Charles Hart, songwriter and musician
• Konnie Huq, television presenter

• Robinson College website
• Sketches of the college from Cambridge Art
• Robinson College Students' Association
• Robinson College MCR (Graduate Society)