Location

Our Old Courts (click to view the site map) are in Cambridge city centre. It is 0.4 miles to each of the Downing Site and New Museums Site on pedestrianised routes, the Sidgwick Site is 0.7 miles and the University Library is 0.7 miles. The West Cambridge site is 1.6 miles away.

Our West Road (click to view the site map) site is situated to the south west of the city, adjacent to the Cambridge University’s Sidgwick site and 0.3 miles from the University Library. Most undergraduate first years and conference guests are housed here. West Road is 0.6 miles from Old Courts.

To view the route between Old Courts and West Road click on this sentence. Please note: Garret Hostel Lane Bridge (pictured below) is steep (some cyclists dismount to go over it).

Postgraduate students are housed in various clustered smaller properties, the majority of which are around Harvey Road, close to the City railway station.

A location map can be found on our website under the discover tab, following the link to city map and directions.

Traffic access and parking

At our Old Courts traffic is restricted along Trinity Street on weekdays from 10am–4pm, reflecting busy pedestrian and bicycle based traffic. Taxis are currently able to pick up/drop off at the end of King’s Parade, around 100 metres from the Porters’ Lodge. As at November 2019 the City Council are considering plans to amend this access. This advice will be updated as and when changes take place. Several short stay disabled bays are currently designated on King’s Parade. Due to the historic preservation of this part of Cambridge, pavements are narrow and road surfaces are often cobbled and uneven.

At West Road there are no traffic access restrictions. Parking within our site is only available on a pre-arranged basis, with up to two spaces for students possible by permit. Porters can advise on how to arrange parking, as the permission process is contingent on the duration required, the time of year and the reason for the need. On street parking spaces are available opposite subject to a maximum four-hour time restriction from Monday to Sunday between 9am-5pm daily on a pay and display basis. Outside these hours the parking is free and unrestricted.

Parking in the Harvey Road area is subject to a residential parking zone. Some pay and display bays are available, with a good number on St Paul’s Road.

Services and shops

Cambridge City Centre has a good and varied selection of retail and food service outlets. Accessibility varies as some have stepped access where based in listed buildings. Many have step free access. Cobbles are common and the city centre is busy, which can present challenges, but much of the retail area is pedestrian/cycle access only.

Other transport options

The City Bus station is 0.3 miles from Old Courts. Bus timetables can be found on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.

Park and Ride buses to Madingley Road P&R stop on Bridge Street opposite St John’s College, approximately six minutes/0.3 miles from the Old Courts.

Uni 4 and Citi 4 buses leave from West Road, under 100m from the West Road Porter’s Lodge.

Cambridge (main) railway station is 1.3 miles to the south. Buses (Citi 7) run from the station up Hills Road/Regent Street to the main City Bus station (taking about 22 minutes). Train timetables can be found at nationalrail.co.uk.

Caius student body numbers around 525 undergraduates and over 300 postgraduates. Gonville & Caius is an older College, founded in 1348. As a result it has many listed buildings.

Buildings in the Old Courts are rarely equipped with lifts and stepped access is common, although ramps have been fitted to key access routes and public rooms, of which more details are given below. The ramp between Tree Court and Caius Court is pictured above.

Buildings in West Road are 20^th and 21^st century in origin and have good accessibility, with a number of bedrooms that are DDA compliant, with lift access to those rooms, and lifts or ramps to the relevant communal spaces. The entrance to The Stephen Hawking Building is pictured below.

Medical facilities

The College Nursing team offers appointments at the Health Centre in U staircase Tree Court on weekdays during full term and covers a broad range of health and welfare issues. They can be contacted on tel. 01223 332421, email college.nurse@cai.cam.ac.uk and details are available via the Venn intranet site to members of College and staff.

Emergency procedures

Visitors are asked to advise the Porters' Lodge if they may need help evacuating in an emergency so Porters can offer support. Those staying overnight will have a personal evacuation plan put in place. The College has six evacuation chairs located around the estate, three in the Old Courts and four in the Harvey Court site. These are stored in the main communal areas such as the Dining Hall.

Wheelchair-accessible rooms

In the Old Courts one student room has been adapted for wheelchair use, with a wet room and small adapted kitchen, pictured left. The door to the room opens inwards and is 0.8m wide, the door handle is 1m from the ground. The kitchen worktop is 0.8m high.

On West Road the Stephen Hawking Building, built in 2005, has one DDA compliant room on the ground floor, pictured below, and four rooms with loops for hearing impairment across ground, first and second floors. These contain en-suite bathrooms and small adapted kitchenettes with adjustable height surfaces. All floors are served by a DDA compliant lift. Conference/social areas within this building are accessible either via external path or via an internal lift. Entry to this building is via access card, but has manually operated, quite heavy, doors. 

Harvey Court has two converted rooms, one with an automated door, both with en-suite bathrooms and small adapted kitchenette. These are on floors accessible by two DDA compliant lifts situated in the north-west and south east corners of the building. Some floors are however only accessible vis staircases due to the 1960s design of the building. Conference/social areas within this building are accessible via an external path and then an internal ramp at an angle of 3° for lower parts of the JCR. Entry to this building is via key card and the door opening is automated.

The College routinely houses first year undergraduate students in the two West Road buildings detailed above. After the first year of study rooms are selected by ballot and may be in locations around the city. Any support provisions required by individual students will be discussed with Tutors and the Accommodation Office at that time. Early contact is advisable for those with concerns regarding transportation and/or access requirements.

Postgraduate student accommodation is clustered in a collection of Victorian housing in and around Harvey Road, close to the station. At the current time there are no rooms with step free access within this campus as all the houses in this conservation area have stepped entrances. Postgraduates with access requirements are offered rooms in the West Road buildings described above.

Live-in assistants, assistance dogs and emotional support animals

Live-in assistants are a possibility, but are not routine for the College and would need discussion well in advance of arrival.

Assistance dogs would also be a possibility with prior discussion, please contact the Accommodation Office in the first instance.

Requests to bring an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) onto University and/or College property will not normally be granted but would be considered on a case by case basis. Decisions to allow (or not to allow) an ESA onto University and/or College property will take into account relevant factors, such as the reasons for the request and supporting medical evidence, the health, safety and welfare of members and staff of and visitors to the University and/or the College, arrangements to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the ESA and of other animals, adequacy of training, insurance arrangements, the cost implications of any agreed arrangements and, where appropriate, laboratory requirements, licence conditions and any other relevant considerations.

Early induction and vacation stays

Early induction is possible with sufficient notice. Staying over vacation periods is also possible, but as rooms are used for other visitors to College (who may themselves have mobility support needs) students may on rare occasions be asked to move rooms. This will be avoided where possible.

Catering arrangements

Breakfast and lunch are available daily, either in the ground floor Bar or second floor Dining Hall, and dinner is a served meal in the Dining Hall. For undergraduates there is a minimum dining requirement of 36 meals a term, which is proportionately reduced for postgraduates. Applications for special consideration must be made via a student’s tutor. This system aims to bring the student body together regularly as a community.

Access room by room is described below.

In general, gyp rooms (a common Cambridge College name for a kitchenette facility) throughout the estate are small. They will contain a kettle, toaster and microwave. Larger gyps contain induction hobs. Ovens are not normally provided. In undergraduate accommodation they are not suitable for self-catering as the majority of term time meals are eaten communally in the Dining Hall. As of January 2021 the Dining Hall is accessible by lift with DDA toilet facilities available. Wheelchair accessible rooms in the Stephen Hawking Building and Harvey Court have adaptable height kitchen facilities.

Special diets

The College supports all current legislation on food labelling and seeks to minimise risks from common allergens (eg nuts) in food preparation. The College’s food allergy policy is available by clicking on this sentence.

Other dietary restrictions on religious or health grounds are supported wherever possible. It should be noted that the kitchens feed around 400 students and Fellows nightly at dinner during Full Term and therefore not all requirements can be met. Students on induction are asked to note restrictions in the online Meal Booking System that governs bookings for dinner. A card system operates in order to identify diners in Hall. Students with needs that cannot be met may speak to their Tutor to request alternative arrangements, but as noted above, fully self-catering facilities are not provided in undergraduate accommodation.

College grounds - exterior

Old Courts (click to view the site map): There is a step free level entrance through the main gate. When the College is closed to visitors (commonly during the busy tourist season) access through the Porters’ Lodge is up a single step each way, but a bell can be rung and the Porters will open the main gate to permit step free access. Access between Caius and Gonville Court is level. Access from Tree to Caius Court is ramped at an angle of 4° and a width of 1.1m with a handrail, pictured below. Surfaces are generally York flagstones, with some irregularity due to age, and with cobbles to each side of the main pathway.

Students are not permitted to walk on the Old Courts lawns.

West Road (click to view the site map): The Porters’ Lodge is in a separate building adjacent to the car park entry point. Access to the Lodge is level with a fully glazed door opening outwards with a width of 0.8m. The Porters are always on location to assist if required. Around Harvey Court and the Stephen Hawking Building paths are either flat (gravel or tarmac laid) or where stepped edges exist ramped access points are available. Most paths through the gardens to the rear of these properties are laid with loose gravel surfaces.

Students are permitted on the West Road main lawns.

College buildings in general

Access to most buildings on main College site is possible, if sometimes a bit difficult. The new Stephen Hawking Building and Harvey Court on West Road have good, flat access. The Stephen Hawking Building has fully glazed manually operated entrance doors, leading to lift access to upper floors (August 2023: the lift is not working; fixing it is proving complex. We apologise for the inconvenience). Harvey Court has automatically operated double entrance doors, pictured above.

Old Courts (Gonville Court): Undercroft

The Undercroft is the entrance point to most social and catering areas of College listed below. The entrance to the Undercroft is shown on the Old Courts site map at the letter F, which can be found on the website under the discover tab (click to download PDF). It is also pictured above. The two sets of paired entry doors open outwards to the Court for fire escape purposes which can be difficult to navigate in a wheelchair. They are narrow 1m double width doors with visibility panels at 1.4m height above floor level (too high to see a wheelchair on the other side). No automated opening is fitted, handles are 1.1m from the ground and doors can be held open by hooks to the outside wall. When social events are planned in College these doors are commonly hooked open or staff are on hand to assist in passage.

Old Courts (Gonville Court): Bar, Red and Green Rooms

Level access to the Bar from the Undercroft is through a corridor which is 1m at its narrowest point. The bar is fairly small inside, with tables and moveable stools. There is a low bar counter at 1.04m.

Accessible toilets are located as below. Toilets in the main around the estates accommodation and social area are single cubicle and hence gender neutral. Accessible facilities labelled explicitly to confirm gender neutral use are marked with an * below, but single user toilets and disabled toilets throughout the Estates are non gendered:

Old Courts

• Gonville Court: mezzanine level within the SCR access via small (non DDA compliant) lift
• Gonville Court: basement level below Hall access via small (non DDA compliant) lift
• *Gonville Court: Ground floor, adjacent to B Staircase (pictured above; level access from Gonville Court, not Tree Court).
• Cockerell Building: In library (near the lift)

West Road

• Stephen Hawking Building: Adjacent to Cavonius Centre, accessed via short-journey lift, and 3^rd Floor opposite lift (Aug 2023: not working - we apologise for the inconvenience)
• Harvey Court:
• Ground floor Adjacent to Computer Room
• Near Room B14, accessed via lift
• *Ground floor in JCR main toilet block (pictured below)

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome. Please provide notice to the Porters so that we can support your dog’s comfort as needed, especially in the Old Courts where garden access is restricted. Students wishing to bring assistance dogs are asked to contact Tutorial at the time of application to the College.

Computer facilities

Special hardware or software for visually impaired student users is acquired as and when necessary. Requests should be routed through the Tutorial team in the first instance.

Large print, Braille and audio

Large print letters and information can be provided on request to the department issuing the information.

Library and magnification equipment

There are no special facilities in place for text enlargement currently.

Signs and wayfinding

No directional signposting, except for specific events, but most staircases are clearly marked. The main site is small.

Steps and stairs

Most steps and stairs are unmarked, but generally have handrails. Due to the nature of our older buildings, step heights within the Old Courts buildings are often irregular where stones are slipped or worn. All users are asked to take care and pay appropriate attention when moving around College buildings. Mock and other exams are arranged by individual supervisors from time to time. Details of accessibility and other special arrangements for examinations are arranged by the Tutorial office and students are asked to make early contact with that office to ensure needs are reflected, this is covered in the information provided to new students on joining the College. Fellows arranging in house examinations are asked to liaise with the Tutorial office where they are aware of students in their teaching groups requiring specialist support, students needing such support should speak to their DoS or tutor in the first instance.

Induction loops are in place at:

• Both Porters Lodges’
• Bateman Auditorium
• Cavonius Centre
• Chapel

Students in College accommodation that wish to do so are welcome to make their domestic assistance or landlady aware if they have specific concerns regarding hearing impairments.

Alarms

The DDA accommodation in the Stephen Hawking Building and in Harvey Court have both visual and sensory alarms. A Braille version of Fire Action Plan is held and available for use on request. Vibrating pillows are available on request from the West Road Porters’ Lodge.

Other

Visitors are restricted, so the College is generally quiet internally. This control is even tighter during the Easter term leading to exams. Gonville Court, as a social area, can be noisier, and rooms facing outwards to the City centre or located above retail streets in the city centre do experience noise. The Library in particular is designed to absorb noise and is staffed to ensure occupants respect quiet working.

Arrangements for students with Specific Learning Difficulties are on an individual basis, in conjunction with the Disability Resource Centre. Please discuss your needs with your tutor and/or with the admissions staff prior to arrival.

Access improvements will be made as and when they are needed.

For the Cockerell Building/Library: Plans to enlarge the lift are currently in evolution, the challenge being to expand the lift shaft within this beautiful listed building sufficiently to meet DDA requirements.

The information on these pages is the responsibility of Gonville & Caius College. This page was last updated as shown in the footer and all information was correct at that time. However from time to time lifts require repairs or maintenance, and rooms and routes may be closed for private functions. To ensure the information contained here is current, and that your visit to Caius is as comfortable as possible, please check with Gonville & Caius College Porters’ Lodge before arrival.