Cambridge Colleges: Downing College

       Downing College, founded in 1800, was the only of Cambridge's Colleges founded between 1596 and 1869, giving it the unique honor of being able to call itself both the newest of the "old" colleges, and the "oldest" of the new colleges.  The fortune, that eventually provided the for the founding of Downing came from one Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet, who divorced and with no children, left a string of four heirs (starting with his cousin Sir Jacob) in his will, and detailed instructions as to what should be done with his wealth should none of these heirs end up with children to whom the family fortune could be passed on, and that there should be a constituent college of Cambridge founded named for the Downing family.  This was in 1749.  By 1764 all the named heirs had died.  Legally, this ought to have been the year of the founding of Downing, but thanks to a legal challenge by the wife of Sir Jacob, claiming the right to the fortune.  A legal challenge that her sister and second husband continued years after her death in 1778, only relinquishing the funds to the founding of a Cambridge College when legally compelled to do so shortly before 1800.
       So, some 40 years after it's possible conception, committee were formed, an architect (William Wilkins) was appointed, and Downing College began to take shape.  With the Downing fortune having been greatly reduced during the 40 some odd year long legal battle, the property purchased for the college site greatly exceeded the funds available to build  the college.  To this day Downing College maintains a massive sportsfield/green site simply known as the "paddock."  Empty space where the original architect had envisioned the fourth side of a set of buildings surrounding a central square.  As it was, even the current three "squares" of Downing weren't entirely completed until 1951, marking almost 150 years since the college's founding.  Should Downing ever complete this fourth side of the quadrangle, it would mark the end of Trinity Colleges claim to having the largest enclosed square in Cambridge.  A long running urban myth is that Trinity College as paid Downing College a considerable sum each year in return for a guarantee that Downing will never complete that fourth quadrangle.  Downing maintains a unique look among Cambridge Colleges, and the Greco-Roman influence in it's design is clear.
       Downing prides itself on having produced Union Society Presidents, Blues Captains and winning Rugby Teams over the last several decades, and having re-built their college boathouse in 2000, they can claim some of the best access to training facilities for rowers amongst the "new" colleges.  Training that has paid off, with Downing Men's crews taking "head of the river" in Lents Bumps in 2014, and sitting second on the river behind Caius for the upcoming May Bumps.  There will be a blog about Bumps.  Once I figure out how to possibly describe them in a way that makes them sound sane, even if they may not be.  For now, consider "bumps" the heart and soul of rowing culture in Cambridge, and a response to a river on which side by side racing is impossible.
       With a student body of approximately 600-650, 400ish undergrads, 200ish grads and 50ish fellows per year, it is an average size for a Cambridge College.  Notable alum include Martin Kemp, Annie Vernon, Martin Baker, David Lister, Gordon Reece, David Holbrook, Quentin Blake and Monty Python's John Cleese.
       Downing has a sister college relationship with Lincoln College at Oxford and prides itself on the academic and athletic achievement of it's members.