Clare College, Cambridge

Summary

• 17th century buildings
• Breakfast included

Facilities

• Free broadband access
• Gardens

Drinking and dining

• English breakfast (included)

Nearby recreations

• Pub (walking distance)
• Museums (walking distance)
• Historic houses
• Gardens
• Golf course (a short drive)
• Tennis courts (a short drive)
• Recommended restaurants (walking distance)
• Theatre (walking distance)

Clare College is Cambridge's second oldest College, boasting 17th century architecture, stunning gardens and just a 5 minute walk from central Cambridge with sites either side of the River Cam.

The College was founded in 1326 and was the first of the Oxford and Cambridge foundations to provide for a Master, Fellows and Scholars in a single community. It remains today a society of teachers and students brought together by a common interest in learning, teaching and research.

Please note: We are unable to accept bookings for stag and hen parties or similar.

History to the present day

Clare College is the second oldest of Cambridge’s thirty-one colleges. It was founded in 1326, and generously endowed a few years later by Lady Elizabeth de Clare (Lady de Burgh), a granddaughter of King Edward I (1272-1307).

In 1336 King Edward III (1327-77) granted licence to his cousin Elizabeth de Burgo to establish a collegium (the word originally meant ‘a corporation of scholars’). Although it was in the first instance referred to unspecifically as 'the House of the University of Cambridge', it became known as Clare Hall as early as 1339.

Dining and drinking

A full self-service English breakfast is served in the Buttery each morning from 7.45-9.00am. For guests at the Colony, breakfast is either served on site or at Old Court depending on the time of year. You will be notified of this when you arrive at the College.

Grounds and gardens

The gardens of Clare College are some of the most admired in Cambridge and reflect a beauty and repose which belie their position, situated as they are in the middle of the city. Sited on the ancient fenland and bounded on three of its four sides by dykes and on the fourth by the River Cam, the garden stands as a fine example of a twentieth century English garden.

Other facilities

Free wired broadband in bedrooms.

 

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: Clare College, Memorial Court, Cambridge, CB3 9AJ. Please note if you are using a sat nav this postcode will take you to the rear of the College. Once you get to Queens Road just follow that along the backs until you reach a black and yellow sign saying Clare College, Memorial Court. This is the main entrance.

Check in: from 3.00pm. Check out: by 9.30am.

On Arrival: visitors register at the Memorial Court Porters' Lodge, Queen's Road, Cambridge, where a room key or access card will be issued. Rooms will be available from 3pm on the day of arrival. The Porters' Lodge is open 24 hours a day and a luggage room is always available. Please note delegates should register at Memorial Court, Queens Road and not at Old Court, Trinity Lane.

If you are booking a COLONY ROOM, visitors register at the Colony, Chesterton Lane, CB4 3AA, where a room key or access card will be issued. This Porters' Lodge is open 7am - 11pm.

PLEASE NOTE CAR PARKING IS FULLY BOOKED IN SEPTEMBER 2010 AND WE ARE UNABLE TO OFFER ANY FURTHER SPACES.

Security: The College gates will normally be locked at midnight but the Memorial Court Porters' Lodge is staffed 24 hours a day. It is strongly recommended that delegates lock their rooms at all times. The College is not insured for loss or theft of any items belonging to visitors to the College.

Cycles: There are cycle racks at the front of Memorial Court where delegates are welcome to leave their bicycles.  Please note that the College cannot accept any responsibility for bicycles and delegates should ensure they use a secure lock.  Cycles may not be taken through the College grounds or courts.

How to Find Us:

By rail: Cambridge Station is about a 25 minute walk from Clare, but buses run every 8 minutes into the centre of Cambridge and taxis are available for hire at Cambridge Station.

By road: Cambridge is linked to London and the M25 by the M11 motorway. Exit at junction 12 for Barton Road or Junction 13 for Madingley Road.

By coach: There are frequent services between London's Victoria Coach Station and Drummer Street Bus Station in Cambridge. Most services will terminate from Cambridge Bus Station, from here it is only a 5-minute walk to Clare Old Court.

NB: If taking a taxi from the city centre, be sure to ask to be dropped off at Clare College, Memorial Court in Queen's Road.

More photos of Clare College, Cambridge

You can be assured of a warm welcome	Scholars' Garden
Clare Bridge	The Great Hall	Fallen Warrior
The Great Hall	Clare Bridge at sunset	People by the River Cam	Bicycle by gate

Customer feedback

We guarantee that all our feedback is genuine and can only be submitted by people who have booked through our websites.

Graham Smith, September 2010: Terrific venue + very close to town centre. We were attending a concert in Kings College Chapel, where our son-in-law was playing. Just a short walk from Clare.

Mudit Ravindrakumar, August 2010: We booked 2 large twin en-suite rooms for a night at Clare College. We had a great time staying here. The booking process was easy on the Clare College website and the person on the phone was very pleasant and helpful when I called up with questions. The porters at the college were cheerful and helpful - allowed us an early checkin and late check-out which was very nice. The college is a great place to stay in - esp. as it is in the centre of the town where we wanted to be and the stay included access to Clare College grounds and gardens which are absolutely lovely. My only gripe: The rooms, though huge (the large twin ensuite had a lounge area + bedroom), are pretty basic (one bed was a guest bed not a proper bed and the room is done-up in a rather cheap way). This'd be standard for a college hostel I presume, but then you'd expect better for the price (or a lower price for this type of room). Clearly the price is largely for the location and excellent external surroundings rather than in-room comforts.

Susan Foxall, August 2010: We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The morning porter was delightful and went out of his way to help us and be helpful. I would recommend this site and the Cambridge b &b to friends.

Paula Greenlees, August 2010: My daughter and I stayed in Memorial Court, Clare College. The porters were so friendly and helpful. On our arrival the porter was cheerful and made sure we knew our way around. We were very pleased with our room. It was very quiet, and we had a twin room plus a sitting room, (a set), which I discovered later was first year accommodation in the college. We had plenty of space and slept very well. The pillows were a bit on the thin side, but that was fine. I think it is important to remember that one is staying in student accommodation, not an hotel. It was so convenient to be in the centre of Cambridge, as this made our stay easier, as we had lots of errands to do. Breakfast wasn't included, but that didn't matter; there was tea and coffee, and we went to EAT in Lion's Yard to have breakfast. We also had college passes so we could walk through Clare and visit the chapel, library and gardens. I would stay again, but my only reservation would be about staying during term time. Having had a daughter who was a Cambridge student, I know how noisy halls can get with doors banging during term time. Memorial Court was well designed, so maybe this wouldn't be as bad as some accommodation. Thank you to the porters!

David Thomson, August 2010: Enjoyed the stay. Just as good as, if not better than, staying in a B + B.

Dr Judith Frost, August 2010: Everything about the stay was terrific. Only two exceptions: the mattress in the room was very poor, uncomfortable and did not meet the excellent standard of the rest of the accommodatons. I can't comment on breakfast as none was included. I would gladly stay at Clare again. Lovely and helpful staff and lovely accommodations.

Margherita Poggiali, August 2010: The morning in which we stayed there there was no breakfast served, which was a disappointment, as we were looking forward to dine in the hall, but also because we were not offered a discount. We also had to check-out too early (9:30am), which is not average time for checking out. The staff however were very friendly, nice and helpful and the rooms were exactly what we expected - students rooms, just vacated. Clean, tidy, and with a touch of nostalgia.

Ursula Engelhardt, August 2010: We enjoyed the experience of "living" in Clare College - although for 2 nights only!

Peter Bolton, August 2010: Very helpful porters. Thanks

Hugh Butland, August 2010: I would rate all aspects as very good, esp. value for money.

john nash, August 2010: Clare College is an excellent place to stay, being close to the Backs and King's Parade but well away from the hustle and bustle of the centre of Cambridge.The room was fairly basic but it was fine for a short break.The provision of soap in the room would be a useful extra.The Porters were very helpful and friendly and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Cambridge

george emney, August 2010: I will certainly do this again! regards George Emney

Mrs Jean C Bateman, August 2010: Didn't know till we arrived that we had to walk quarter of a mile to breakfast, good job it wasn't raining! Very basic accommodation, dripping taps, porters very helpful.

RUTH OGDEN, August 2010: My sister and I had the most enjoyable stay and were very reluctant to leave! Only comment would be that the beds were not the most comfortable. Please thank the porters for being so helpful and courteous. I would recommend a stay at Clare to friends, and I hope to return myself one day.

Andrew Berry, August 2010: Great value accommodation and a very satisfactory experience. The room was clean, well furnished and much larger than I expected, although I'm glad I read in previous comments that no soap is supplied despite there being a washbasin in the room; I took my own so no problem there. The cooked breakfast was delicious and the grounds are very pleasant indeed. The porters were friendly and helpful. I will definitely stay here again next summer if I come to Cambridge.

Anna Wyse, August 2010: Great that we were able to park, thanks for accomodating

Martin Key, August 2010: Very clean, simple room. Pricey but excellent location

Jessica de Ridder, July 2010: Arrived to find our twin bed room only had one bed! It was quickly fixed by the staff adding a bed to the room. The room was basic and a little stuffy, but this was easily fixed by adding some flowers and letting some fresh air in. Claire is perfectly situated, and benefits greatly from having beautiful riverside gardens! The breakfast was lovely and freshly cooked. When staying in Cambrige the best place to be is in a College, with access to the grounds thrown in with your room rate. We had a wonderful time and would stay in a uni room again!

Miss A Braithwaite, July 2010: Very helpful Porter - no request too much trouble

Dr Robin Thomas, July 2010: The Porters were excellent, the room was clean and it was great to have the opportunity to stay in Clare.

Rosemary Stevens, July 2010: No breakfast on Sunday (I was aware of this from website) Very helpful when I left my chequebook in porter's lodge.

Alec Graham, July 2010: I enjoyed the college immensely. Just one small thing that would help - soap in the room itself. I forgot to bring mine and it would have been useful rather than to keep going to the bathroom on the lower floor.

Linda Jones, July 2010: we were very impressed with the whole experience