Girton College, situated on one of the main routes into Cambridge, was founded in 1869 as the UK's very first residential college for women. Initially, located in Hinxton, the move to Girton was completed in 1873 with just 13 students. Today the College houses over 800 students on a beautiful and expansive site that offers endless choices for events of all types. Guests are welcome to stroll around the grounds; enjoy a visit to the Chapel for services and musical concerts; discover the College's on-site museum and take time out in the Social Hub which offers a range of hot and cold food and drinks...
Five reasons to book Girton College
- It has one of the largest dining halls in Cambridge seating up to 280 guests.
- Guests have free access to the College's renowned People's Portraits Exhibition.
- Residential guests have access to the College's indoor swimming pool, tennis court and gym.
- With over 50 acres of gardens, including an orchard and a pond, visitors can enjoy relaxing outdoors - you may even spot one of the College's resident black squirrels!
- Situated less than 1 mile from the A14/M11 junctions, there's plentiful free car parking on site.
Sustainable Fact
Girton is rooted in nature and committed to sustainability. Making the most of its wildlife habitats, Victorian flowering borders, heritage orchard and more, the College promotes biodiversity on site. The theme, Our Fragile Planet, is the centrepiece of our academic activities for 2020-22.
Venue Insight
We caught up with Ruth Clemson, Conference Coordinator at Girton College to find out more about this special and unique academic venue.
Tell us something we don't know about Girton College
I've got two things! We have a 2000-year-old mummy in our museum - the linen-wrapped remains are of a young teacher named Hermione and they were discovered in Eygpt in 1911...we also had our own women's fire brigade, which was founded in 1879 and was in existence up to 1932.
What can a delegate expect when attending an event at Girton College?
A great time! Free parking, a friendly welcome, comfortable surroundings, free Wi-Fi, delicious food produced by our own chefs onsite and excellent service to make your event a success.
Tell us more about your role at Girton College
I have such a varied role working with so many different clients on lots of different types of events, my role in the conference and events office is to work with our organisers and to liaise with all departments to ensure that the event is a resounding success and a memorable occasion.
What was your most memorable event?
This is a difficult one to answer as we have so many wonderful events.
I have fond memories of all our weddings from the small and intimate, with just a handful of guests, to the large ones with 200. Each one is unique and very special.
Then there was a 5-day conference that we hosted a few years ago for 160 delegates. The organiser made full use of all our functions rooms, the outdoor areas for exercises, the swimming pool for lessons, the great hall for a gala dinner, the cafeteria for lunches and snacks and guests stayed in the College bedrooms so they had a great choice of accommodation options too. The event was a resounding success, even the babies that came along with their parents seemed to enjoy it too!
