![Central Building](/sites/default/files/styles/banner_image/public/news/2024-08/RS2355_2017_09_22_Central_Building_7_0.jpg?itok=l31lfshY)
Fitzwilliam College Honoured with Grade II Listing for Three Historic Buildings
Fitzwilliam College and Fitz Events are delighted to announce that three of our buildings have been listed at Grade II. New Court houses 86 of our ensuite bedrooms, while our Central Building features a striking Dining Hall filled with natural light, making it an ideal venue for formal dinners beneath its stunning ceiling. The third building to receive this honour is our serene multifaith Chapel, providing a peaceful space for reflection between meetings.
The Central Hall Building was designed by the acclaimed post-war architect Denys Lasdun, as part of his masterplan for the College in the 1960s. Later, architects MacCormac, Jamieson, and Prichard (MJP) expanded upon Lasdun's original concepts by designing New Court in the 1980s and the Chapel in the early 1990s, contributing to an updated masterplan for the College.
The architectural highlights include a dramatic, gravity-defying lantern (the Hall), a Chapel that resembles a floating ship, and New Court, which features a unique stepped design with each floor presenting a different appearance both inside and out.
“The evolution of the College buildings on our Main Site in the last 60 years mirrors the maturing of the College’s academic community. Our buildings tell our story and show how Fitz does Cambridge a little differently – from the ambitious future thinking of a social hub for the whole of the College community in our Central Hall Building defined by the symbolism of our gravity-defying glass lantern, to our ‘floating’ Chapel, to the characteristically practical and sociable student kitchen spaces in New Court. In 2023 we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the start of construction of the College on the Storey’s Way site. with an exhibition ‘Building for the Future’ which traced the architectural narrative of the College. The Grade II listing of three of our most important buildings represents a ‘coming of age’ for the College’s 20th century buildings and the College is immensely proud of this public mark of recognition.”
- Rod Cantrill, Bursar
To learn more and share your experiences of these historic buildings, consider contributing to Historic England's Missing Pieces project, click here.
We are proud to share this exciting milestone with you and look forward to welcoming you to experience the charm and history of Fitzwilliam College.
![New Court](/sites/default/files/styles/standard_image_crop/public/image-gallery/2024-08/2014_10_30_Auditorium_Library_and_Cafe_Bar_night_time_exterior_shots_9.jpg?itok=48B1U1of)
![chapel](/sites/default/files/styles/standard_image_crop/public/image-gallery/2024-08/BG6I2560FIT%2002_1.jpg?itok=uAxpk94c)
![Dining Hall](/sites/default/files/styles/standard_image_crop/public/image-gallery/2024-08/1944-fitz-events-023.jpg?itok=_DwqnV3E)