One night when I was visiting my daughter, we went for a spooky walk around some of the colleges. Once again, I have to apologise for the photo quality. These were taken on a phone which was not quite as good as the one I now have.
This was so enjoyable, that I might try it in another city.
Pictured above: Top: Newnham college in autumn and a detail of King’s College, Cambridge.
In the East of England, there’s a city famous all over the world for its university. I’m writing about Cambridge today because it’s the inspiration for Vanar University. There are many colleges in Cambridge, a good number of which are situated along the river Cam. The river which cuts through the centre of the city is arguably one of the things that makes Cambridge special, and it certainly makes for some dreamy photo opportunities.
Some of the colleges are away from the river, including the one I’m focusing on for this article. I got to know this college quite well as my daughter read English there from 2015-18.
When I created Navar University, it was Newnham College that helped make the picture in my mind. Newnham is a girls-only college, of Cambridge University, founded in 1871, and renowned for its Queen-Anne style red brick buildings. Many famous women including the American poet, Sylvia Plath, English actress, Emma Thompson, and English primatologist, Jane Goodall have attended this college.
There are six things about Newnham that inspired Vanar University:
1. Newnham’s large quadrangles
My map of Vanar University was modelled on the large quadrangles of Newnham. The beautiful red brick Victorian buildings and the lovely gardens are a real attraction of this college. Unlike some of the more snooty Cambridge colleges, Newnham allows people to walk on the grass and the gardens are open to the public. The Newnham gardens are a lovely place to chill out and picnic in the summer.
2. The Serpentine
The Serpentine is a long corridor that allows students to walk from one part of Vanar University all the way to the far end without stepping outside. This becomes important in Book Two which I am editing at this time. I cannot take the credit for this idea, as Newnham thought of it first. The college was designed with a long corridor that allows Newnhamites to walk from one part of the university to another without going outside in inclement weather. The reason for this was apparently to protect its students and staff from the rain. I would hazard a guess that it’d also work well for not having to go out in the dark either. The corridor is famous for being the second-longest continuous corridor in Europe:
“Newnham is a series of elegant halls linked by corridors and set around the College’s gardens. The corridors are an important feature of the College and Newnham is believed to be home to the second longest continuous corridor in Europe.”
https://newn.cam.ac.uk/newnham-news/8538/
3. Noq’s portal: The Antique Mirror
Many of Newnham’s student rooms contain old and antique furniture. I borrowed this idea for the mirror in Hagar’s room in Requiem. It’s the ornate mirror that is on the cover of the book and Noq’s portal into Vanar University.
4. The Room Ballot
Not all universities do this, but Newnham has a room ballot. Like a kind of lottery. Those drawn first, get to choose their room first. First years are generally the lowest on the ballot, and third years are the highest, usually. Other factors are taken into account. For instance, if you got a good room in your first or second year, then you won’t be so high on the ballot as those who didn’t when it comes to the final year. The most sought after rooms tend to be the larger rooms with balconies. See pictures below for the one of the balcony room and the view from the room.
5. The Beautiful Gardens
Newnham’s lovely gardens have changed over the years and now they also have areas that have been allowed to grow into wildflower meadows important for insects and wildlife. They even have a campus badger. There are still the more traditional and classical gardens, but it’s nice to see some experimentation. I particularly liked the tall architectural planting in the picture below. However, the gardens change from one year to the next, so it may look completely different this year. I had these lovely gardens and the large old trees in mind when I created Vanar University’s Upper Court and Summer Court gardens.
6. The Libary
Cambridge University has many wonderful libraries, and a few are open to the public. The lovely entrance doors to the Newnham library inspired the entrance to the Vanar University library, which is probably Hagar’s favourite place as she spends half her life there. For the interior of Vanar’s library, I borrowed a bit from the Gladstone Library which is not in Cambridge, but in North Wales near to where I used to live. But perhaps I write another post about that beautiful library another time. By the way, I apologise for the quality of some of these photos. I had to resurrect an old phone to retrieve them.
So there we have it. The closest thing to Vanar University in the real world. Let me know if you ever visit Cambridge 🙂
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