Thursday 09 November 2023: To help forge connections between our Ramsay Postgraduate Scholars overseas, the Centre recently organised a series of events at Cambridge University for scholars studying in the UK.

The Cambridge events came on the heels of a series of London events for our UK scholars, which centred on music and art. In London, our scholars participated in a guided tour and organ recital at All Saints, Margaret Street, and a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre.

Several scholars attending Cambridge as well as Oxford University and schools such as the London School of Economics and Political Science, joined in the scholar activities planned at Cambridge. These included tours of Cambridge University and its colleges, a formal Ramsay Scholars dinner at Pembroke College, a Trinity College Choir performance by candlelight, and tour of The Fitzwilliam Museum. The Fitzwilliam Museum is the lead partner of the spectacular collections of the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden.

Eighteen Ramsay Scholars attended the formal dinner in the Thomas Gray room at Pembroke College, which was hosted by 2022 Ramsay Scholar Jennifer Tridgell. Jennifer is studying a PhD (Law) and is a resident of Pembroke, Cambridge’s third oldest college. An after-dinner address was given by 2021 Ramsay Scholar Daniel McKay on the life and times of English poet, letter-writer, and classical scholar Thomas Gray. Daniel is studying a PhD in History and was involved in mounting an online exhibition about Thomas Gray during the pandemic.

2023 Ramsay Postgraduate Scholar Anna Szabo is studying a Master of Development Studies at Cambridge University and in the future hopes to work for a multilateral development bank. She wrote this reflection on two of the events she attended:

“On Wednesday 11 October, I attended two events organised for Cambridge-based Ramsay scholars – a guided tour of the Trinity College grounds by a 2022 scholar, Will Holbrook, followed by Evensong later that night. 

Will Holbrook has already been studying at Trinity College for two years, having completed his Masters degree there in 2021 and commenced his PhD in 2022 – and as a result, he was a wealth of knowledge when it came to sharing interesting facts about the college. Trinity was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 and is particularly known for having produced many esteemed scientists and economists (the college has produced 32 Nobel Prize winners since they were first awarded in 1901). Famous undergraduates who attended the college in the past include Francis Bacon, Alfred Tennyson, and Isaac Newton. All these figures have been memorialised in statue form in the Trinity Chapel, but it is the latter who takes pride of place in the chapel atrium, and who can be seen through the doorway from the opposite end of the beautiful hall. 

Will was also happy to share some of the less well-known facts about the college; for example, the rumour that crème brûlée was invented at Trinity (Will noted this almost certainly has no basis in fact). We found out that the most popular manuscript in Trinity’s Wren Library is an original of Winnie the Pooh – it’s so popular, in fact, that visitors are no longer allowed to take photos of it. And we were all greatly amused at his retelling of the story involving the statue of King Henry VIII at the college entrance. About 30 years ago, the golden sword in the statue’s hand was swapped for a wooden chair leg by some mischievous students who figured they could make some money by selling it. After the deed was noticed, the statue became even more famous. (I later heard that the wooden chair leg was then again stolen, and replaced with a second chair leg by another group of students who figured they could make some money by selling the first chair leg – although this, too, may or may not be based in fact).  

It was this contrast of formality and grandeur with comical stories and traditions that made for such an interesting and enjoyable tour. One of my favourite memories from the day was when Will was pointing out all the students, staff and visiting members of the public who were walking around the rectangular lawns in the internal courtyard, obediently following Trinity’s rule that only Fellows are permitted to walk on the grass. At that exact moment, an elderly, hunched-over Fellow stepped staunchly onto the grass and proceeded to walk diagonally across the lawn, much to the amusement of our little group and the surprise of the surrounding tourists. What a power move. 

The day concluded by our group meeting up again in the evening to attend a Sung Compline at 9pm. After cycling through the cobble-stoned streets of Cambridge in the rain, coat pulled close against the Autumn chill, it was a wonderful balm to spend an evening sitting in the candlelit chapel, surrounded by the piercing resonance of the Trinity College Choir. Many members of our group remarked afterwards on the magical or spiritual nature of the experience. The port and cheese biscuits offered after the service were a lovely end to a beautiful evening and helped warm up my insides before heading out in the rain again to cycle home.”

Interested in learning more about the Ramsay Centre’s Postgraduate Scholarships? Visit: https://www.ramsaycentre.org/scholarships-courses/postgraduate-scholarships/

Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098 / sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org