Foundation

Before Sidney's founding as a Protestant seminary, the site was home to the Grey Friars, or Franciscans, for nearly three centuries. In the 1950s, excavations revealed remnants of the complex, a lay graveyard with reburied skeletons, shattered stained glass, and a large Saxon jar. The medieval cellars beneath Hall Court, where Sidney's wine is stored, are remnants of this era.^[8]

The college was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wife of Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, and named after its foundress. It was from its inception an avowedly Protestant foundation;^[7] "some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance of good learninge". In her will, Lady Frances Sidney left the sum of £5,000 together with some plate to found a new college at Cambridge University "to be called the Lady Frances Sidney Sussex College".^[9] Her executors Sir John Harington and Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent, supervised by Archbishop John Whitgift, founded the college seven years after her death.^[7]

Expansion

While the college's geographic size has changed little since 1596, an additional range was added to the original E-shaped buildings in the early 17th century and the appearance of the whole college was changed significantly in the 1820s and 1830s, under the leadership of the master at the time, William Chafy. By the early 19th century, the buildings' original red brick was unfashionable and the hall range was suffering serious structural problems.

The opening up of coal mines on estates left to the college in the 18th century provided extra funds, which were to be devoted to providing a new mathematical library and accommodation for mathematical exhibitioners. Also with those funds, the exterior brick was covered with a layer of cement, the existing buildings were heightened slightly, and the architectural effect was also heightened, under the supervision of Sir Jeffry Wyatville.^[10]

In the late nineteenth century, the college's finances received a further boost from the development of the resort of Cleethorpes on college land on the Lincolnshire coast. This land had been purchased in 1616, following a bequest for the benefit of scholars and fellows by Peter Blundell, a merchant from Tiverton, Devon.^[11][12] A new wing (Cloister Court), added in 1891 to the designs of John Loughborough Pearson, is stylistically richer than the original buildings and has stone staircases, whereas the stairs in the older buildings are made of timber.^[13]

In the early twentieth century, a High Church group among the fellows was instrumental in the rebuilding and enlargement of the chapel, which was provided with a richly carved interior in late seventeenth-century style, designed by T. H. Lyon, and somewhat at odds with the college's original Puritan ethos.^[14]

Sidney Sussex is one of the smaller Cambridge colleges. The student body consists of roughly 355 undergraduate students, 275 postgraduates and 80 fellows.

Chapel Court

This court incorporates a number of buildings that house offices, the Junior Common Room (JCR) and a wood panelled chapel.

The Chapel, for which this court is named, has gone through many forms over the years. The current building was rebuilt in the 18th century, and has been extended a number of times in subsequent centuries. The exterior was entirely remodelled in 1833 to match the Gothic style of the rest of the buildings.

The carved interior of the Chapel was installed in the early 20th century to suit the High Church tastes of a group of college fellows.

The Chapel is open throughout the day as a space for the college community, regardless of faith or background.^[20]

Hall Court

Hall Court is enclosed by a range of Gothic buildings incorporating the Master's Lodge, Buttery and the new Kitchen buildings, but the Court's name comes from Sidney's Dining Hall.^[21]

The dining hall was redesigned by Sir James Burrough in 1752.^[22] The hall had been in poor repair, and the 'elegant Rococo room' that emerged from the remodelling was seen as a way to attract students and Fellows. Sidney's Dining Hall features decorated plasterwork, pillars, and an elaborate rococo ceiling with a centrepiece of scrolls and acanthus foliage.^[23]

A portrait of the college's founder, Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex, is mounted over the high table.^[24]

The Hall is used for a whole range of functions for undergraduates, postgraduates, alumni and fellows, it is used to meet and socialise.

Cloister Court

Added in 1891 and designed in the Gothic revival style, these buildings recall the Franciscan roots of the site.^[25]

The buildings house a number of student rooms, gardens and lawn, where a number of medieval graves were uncovered.

Student societies

Sidney has a range on offer including many sports clubs and a variety of subject-based societies. Students can set up a new club or society at any time.^[27]

SSCSU (Sidney Sussex College Students' Union) represents undergraduates at Sidney, whether through socials or broader student politics. The Middle Common Room (MCR) is Sidney's postgraduate community, and consists of all the PhD, MPhil, Part III, and LLM students.

May Ball

Sidney's first May Ball was in 1894 during Charles Smith's Mastership. In 2010, the Venice-themed May Ball garnered national press attention for its unique punting setup. Recent themes have included 'Light' (2014) and 'Beyond' (2016). In 2022, an 'Arcade' theme featured Pacman, the Ghost Gang, and a neon maze in Hall Court, with the Knox-Shaw Room transformed into a retro arcade.^[30]

As with many of the smaller colleges, Sidney Sussex does not run a May Ball every year, instead running a biennial May Ball, on even-numbered years. On odd-numbered years, the college previously hosted an arts festival, which welcomed anyone in Cambridge to attend. Notable guest speakers at the Sidney Arts Festival have included Stephen Fry, in 2015.^[31] The college now hosts a June Event on odd-numbered years, which is an event which is shorter, smaller and cheaper to attend than a May Ball.^[32]

A Song of Sidney Sussex

At the beginning of the 20th century, E.H. Griffiths wrote a ten verse song dedicated to Sidney Sussex. Each verse systematically identifies, then dismisses other Cambridge colleges for their faults, before settling on Sidney as the best college of all. The chorus exhorts the audience:^[33]

Politicians

Notable politicians to have attended the college include the civil servant Sir Basil Engholm; and the former Foreign Secretary and leader of the Social Democratic Party Lord Owen. Former students also include Chris Grayling; David Lidington; Rebecca Evans, and the late Brian Lenihan, former Minister of Finance in the Republic of Ireland.

Scientists

The college's strong tradition in the sciences is seen by the association of the Nobel Prize–winning physicists Cecil Frank Powell and C. T. R. Wilson, 1997 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient John E. Walker and the 2002 Nobel prize in Chemistry recipient Alan MacDiarmid. Sir Benjamin Lockspeiser, the first president of CERN was also an undergraduate at the college, along with psychiatrist W. Ross Ashby. Robert McCance Professor of Experimental Medicine, played a leading part in wartime rationing and 1940s government nutrition efforts. Professor Dame Ann Dowling has been a Fellow since 1977 and is the President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.^[35] The inaugural recipient of the Rosalind Franklin award Professor Sue Gibson was an undergraduate at the college.^[36] The "father of radio astronomy in Australia"^[37][38] Joe Pawsey obtained his PhD at Sidney Sussex in 1935.

Bletchley Park codebreakers

Eleven members of the college worked at Bletchley Park during World War Two. They were Gordon Welchman, a Sidney Research Fellow in Mathematics who recruited many of them, John Herivel, Asa Briggs, Paul Coales, Malcolm Chamberlain, Edward Dudley Smith, John Manisty, Jim Passant, David Rees, Howard Smith (later head of MI5) and Leslie Yoxall (famous for his work in Hut 8 on breaking the German naval officers' code).^{[citation needed]}

Artists and popular figures

More recent alumni include author, broadcaster and Associate Editor of The Observer newspaper Andrew Rawnsley; former technical director of the Mercedes-Benz Formula One team Paddy Lowe; television host known primarily for her role on the game show Countdown Carol Vorderman and the comedian Alex Horne. Also, the Hollywood director John Madden known for the Academy Award-winning Shakespeare in Love, and professor and writer John Fraser. Musical alumni include Al Doyle (1998) and Felix Martin (1999) of the electronic band Hot Chip.^[39] In 2010, American composer Eric Whitacre was named Visiting Fellow and Composer-in-Residence.

Sherlock Holmes

Author Dorothy L. Sayers suggested that, given details in two of the stories, the fictional character Sherlock Holmes must have been at Cambridge rather than Oxford and that "of all the Cambridge Colleges, Sidney Sussex (College) perhaps offered the greatest number of advantages to a man in Holmes's position and, in default of more exact information, we may tentatively place him there".^[40]

List of alumni