A Classical Adventure: The Architectural History of Downing College, Cambridge comprises 200 pages in full-colour and has been produced by Tim Rawle, who has published the book through his new company The Oxbridge Portfolio (www.oxbridgeportfolio.com).
Commissioned by the Howard Foundation, this is the first book to set Downing College fully in the context of the history of Cambridge architecture and to tell the story of its buildings from the earliest plans through to the College of today.
A Classical Adventure was unveiled at a special party held at Downing College on Thursday 10th September. The Howard Foundation, a charitable trust and multiple benefactor to the College, was represented by Dr Alan Howard and his son Jon.
Tim Rawle said: “In the story of English architecture, and the history of Cambridge University in particular, Downing College occupies a very special place. It was thanks to the will of the third Sir George Downing, Baronet, who died without issue in 1749, that the College came into being, but it was only after a long legal battle instigated by his successor’s widow, the last Lady Downing, that the College was eventually founded in 1800.
“The original buildings were completed between 1807 and 1820 to the designs of the architect William Wilkins in the neo-classical Greek Revival style, and it was also the first instance of the spacious campus plan in collegiate architecture. For the last two hundred years the College has been on an exciting classical adventure, fully committed to the defining style of its original buildings for all subsequent additions to its spacious site in the centre of Cambridge.”
Tim Rawle read architecture at Downing College in the 1970s, is an architectural photographer and writer and has been a Fellow Commoner of the College since 1987. His 2005 book CAMBRIDGE was highly acclaimed by CAM Magazine as
“the best introduction to Cambridge ever published”.
A Classical Adventure: The Architectural History of Downing College, Cambridge costs £30, and will be available in shops soon (ISBN: 978-0-9572867-4-0). It is also possible to order the book from the publisher’s website: www.oxbridgeportfolio.com
To request a review copy please contact Tim Rawle: tr@oxbridgeportfolio.com
Image: At the launch of A Classical Adventure: The Architectural History of Downing College, Cambridge (left to right): Dr Alan Howard, Tim Rawle and Jon Howard.
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Further press information from: Lesley Crosland at Crosland Communications on 01638 662188 Email: info@croslandcomms.co.uk