The name of Queens' College (with the apostrophe after the plural) refers to the succession of English queens who founded and endowed it.
It was first founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI - a Lancastrian queen.
It was then sponsored (20 years later) by Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of Edward IV - a Yorkist queen.
It was then intended to pass on to Anne Neville, the wife of Richard III - a Yorkist like her predecessor - but when King Henry VII took over he revoked everything she had pledged to the college.
One of its most famous residents was Erasmus, the Dutch humanist and one of the most influential scholars in Europe, who lived and taught here during his visits to England between 1506 and 1515.
Fun fact : the college's two halves are joined by the Mathematical Bridge, built in 1749.
The legend goes that Isaac Newton built it without nails and that once disassembled it is almost impossible to rebuild - but that is untrue since Newton died 22 years before the bridge existed, and it has always had bolts!
🕐 On your way to the next stop
Our next stops are Jesus and St John's - a longer stretch north, back up Trumpington Street and King's Parade, past Trinity, to St John's Street. Jesus is a further 5 minutes east along Jesus Lane, so if time is short, St John's alone is well worth it.
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