Murray Edwards College
The College was founded as ‘New Hall’ in 1954; six years after the University began awarding women degrees. We opened our doors to just 16 students in that first year, who resided in temporary accommodation while funds continued to be raised for a permanent home. This came in 1965, with the opening of our current buildings which were designed by Chamberlain, Powell and Bonn.
We adopted our current name ‘Murray Edwards College’ in 2008, following a donation of £30 million from former student Ros Smith (Mrs Edwards) and her husband Steve Edwards.
The College was founded to welcome all outstanding young women of potential, no matter what their background, to the University of Cambridge – with a mission to provide the best education for female students possible.
More than 60 years later, this remains absolutely at the heart of our existence. We choose to remain a College for women in recognition of the fact that there is still much gender inequality facing women in the world today. Thus there is a need for institutions such as ours which offer the additional focus on women’s education, to make sure our students get the most from Cambridge and, later, to help them meet the challenges of the workplace.
Meeting & Events Space
Murray Edwards College offers a variety of conference and meeting rooms in two dedicated, conference centres, Paula Browne House and Buckingham House, both with large foyers, lecture theatres that seat 140 delegates and flexible meeting and break-out rooms are perfect for conferences and training days and are self-contained on site.
In the heart of the College, up to 22 meeting spaces are available year-round, with our largest space, The Dome, accommodating up to 270 guests for a gala dinner. The college also offers free on-site parking, subject to availability.
Most meeting rooms have integrated AV. Our experienced on-site technician can help with all your AV needs from simple projection to hybrid conferencing. For more complex needs, we have a great relationship with a local agency.
We are proud to hold an AIM Secure Site accreditation. This industry standard provides reassurance and confidence to conference and event organisers. AIM secure in particular measures:
- The quality of our meeting and events facilities
- Commitment to delivering a healthy and hygienic environment
- Service delivery
- Compliance with legislation
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion
Private Dining
From smaller, intimate rooms such as the Council Room, to the light-filled Long Room, to the grand Fellows’ Dining Room, to the cavernous, spectacular Dome – Murray Edwards College has a dining room for every occasion and each one can be set up with AV equipment for presentations and speeches.
Our kitchens are led by Joe Dean who was previously Head Chef at Hotel du Vin. Joe has created stunning new seasonal menus for both fine dining and conference catering. Teri Byrne heads up our Front of House team and her past role as Catering Manager at Newmarket Race Course has given her plenty of experience managing stress-free dining experiences.
Our experienced team will help you plan and enjoy a memorable occasion, whether it is a conference dinner, anniversary celebration, dinner dance, or charity function. Please see our menus page for more detail on the options available.
Bedroom Accommodation
Our comfortable en suite bedrooms are available in Buckingham House (35), Pearl House (105), Paula Browne House (8) and Canning & Eliza House (8).
Many of our en suites overlook our gardens and all feature comfortable beds, toiletries, towels and en suite shower rooms. Pearl House, Buckingham House and Canning & Eliza have 3* Campus Accreditation from Visit England. Situated in beautiful Orchard Court, many of our standard rooms have views of our lovely gardens.
The majority have been recently refurbished and all come with toiletries, in-room refreshments, towels and a sink. Toilets and shower rooms are located on each corridor and there are 2-3 bedrooms per toilet/shower.
Striking Brutalist architecture, a world-renowned art collection, beautiful gardens and a modern, forward-thinking feel makes Murray Edwards College, Cambridge a stimulating environment for your day conference or meeting.