If you are staying in Cambridge on Saturday you are welcome to join us after lunch for a walk to the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Walk to The Fitzwilliam Museum

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Walking the Backs: Magdalene College to the Fitzwilliam Museum

After the conference lunch we will take a walk through one of Cambridge’s most beautiful landscapes: the Backs, the stretch of parkland and college gardens along the River Cam. The route takes us from Magdalene College through the historic heart of the university and southwards to the Fitzwilliam Museum.

The Backs are so called because they lie behind the great colleges that line the river. From the 16th century onwards the colleges developed these riverside gardens as a series of lawns, meadows and avenues. In the 18th and 19th centuries they were gradually landscaped into the elegant open spaces we see today, giving Cambridge its famous view of college architecture rising above sweeping lawns and willow trees.

Magdalene College

Our walk begins at the conference venue, Magdalene College, one of Cambridge’s older foundations, established in the 15th century. The college is known for its beautiful riverside setting and for housing the famous Pepys Library, containing the personal library of Samuel Pepys, preserved exactly as he left it in 1703.

The River Cam and the Backs

As we move southwards we follow the River Cam, where the river broadens into a calm stretch popular for punting. The view here captures the essence of Cambridge: medieval bridges, college courts and broad lawns open to the water.

The Backs were redesigned in the early 19th century by landscape planners who wanted to create a continuous park-like vista linking the colleges. Many of the trees we see today were planted during this period.

St John’s College and the Bridge of Sighs

One of the most picturesque sights along the route is St John’s College, whose buildings stretch across the river. The famous Bridge of Sighs, built in 1831, connects the two sides of the college. Despite its name it has no connection with the Venetian bridge beyond a resemblance in style.

Trinity College

Nearby stands Trinity College, founded by Henry VIII in 1546 and the largest college in Cambridge. Trinity has produced a remarkable number of distinguished alumni, including Isaac Newton, whose statue stands in the Great Court.

King’s College and King’s College Chapel

Continuing along the Backs we reach one of Cambridge’s most celebrated landmarks: King’s College Chapel. Begun in 1446 by Henry VI and completed under the Tudors, it is a masterpiece of English Perpendicular Gothic architecture. Its fan-vaulted ceiling is one of the architectural wonders of Europe.

Clare College and the Old Bridge

We also pass Clare College, founded in 1326 and the second-oldest surviving college in Cambridge. The elegant Clare Bridge, built in 1640, is the oldest bridge over the Cam in the city.

Queens’ College and the Mathematical Bridge

Further along the river lies Queens’ College, known for the striking Mathematical Bridge, a wooden structure originally designed in the 18th century. Its ingenious engineering allows it to appear as an arc while being constructed entirely from straight timbers.

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Our walk concludes at the Fitzwilliam Museum, the University of Cambridge’s principal museum of art and antiquities.

Founded in 1816 from the bequest of Richard FitzWilliam, the museum houses outstanding collections ranging from classical sculpture and Egyptian artefacts to paintings by Titian, Rubens and Turner. The imposing neoclassical building on Trumpington Street has been described as one of the finest small museums in Europe.

Entry to the permanent exhibitions at the Fitzwilliam Museum is free of charge. Delegates will be left to explore the museum in their own time and at their own pace.