Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge is one of the most photographed and beloved architectural features in a city already overflowing with beautiful collegiate buildings. It is a covered bridge connecting two parts of St John's College, spanning the River Cam in the heart of the university's historic grounds. Built in 1831 and designed by Henry Hutchinson, the bridge takes its name from its resemblance to the famous Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice, Italy — though the Cambridge version is generally regarded as a rather cheerful and romantic structure rather than one associated with any melancholy. It connects the older courts of St John's College on the east bank of the Cam with New Court on the west bank, and its ornate Gothic stonework makes it one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture in the entire university.
The bridge was constructed during a period of significant expansion at St John's College, which had grown wealthy and ambitious enough to commission an entirely new court across the river. New Court itself, sometimes nicknamed "the Wedding Cake" due to its elaborate pinnacled roofline, was designed by Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson in a neo-Gothic style, and the Bridge of Sighs was conceived as an integral part of that development, providing a sheltered crossing for students moving between the older and newer parts of the college regardless of Cambridge's notoriously damp and grey weather. The covered nature of the bridge, with its latticed stonework windows and vaulted interior, was as much a practical decision as an aesthetic one.
Physically, the bridge is a narrow, enclosed Gothic structure with pointed arched windows filled with ornamental tracery, giving it the appearance of something between a chapel and a corridor suspended in mid-air. The stonework is a warm, pale limestone that weathers beautifully and complements the river environment. Visitors on punts along the Cam glide directly beneath it and can look up into its arched underbelly while those fortunate enough to have access to the college interior can walk through its covered passage. From the river, the bridge frames a picturesque scene: willows trailing into the water, the older collegiate stone on one side and the neo-Gothic extravagance of New Court on the other.
The surrounding area is quintessentially Cambridge. The Backs — the green meadows and riverside grounds behind the colleges — stretch along this section of the Cam, offering some of the most celebrated views in England. King's College Chapel is only a short distance away, and the entire riverside walk connects a series of beautiful college gardens and bridges. This is the Cambridge that appears on postcards and in countless films and television productions set in a romanticised vision of English university life.
Because the Bridge of Sighs is within the grounds of St John's College, direct access to walk across it is restricted to students, staff, and paying visitors to the college during opening hours. However, the exterior of the bridge is perfectly visible — and indeed stunningly so — from the River Cam, making a punt trip the most popular way to see it close up. Punting tours depart from several points along the river, and independent punts can be hired nearby. The college itself charges an admission fee for non-members to enter the grounds during certain hours, with seasonal variations. The postcode CB2 1TP will bring visitors to St John's College's main entrance on St John's Street, a short walk from the market square in the city centre.
One charming and somewhat tongue-in-cheek detail that delights visitors is that, unlike its Venetian namesake — which prisoners crossed on their way to the Doge's Palace cells — the Cambridge Bridge of Sighs is said to have inspired sighs of relief rather than despair, as students used it to move between their accommodation and the examination halls and tutorial rooms. Local legend has also played loosely with the idea that students might sigh romantically while passing through it. The bridge has appeared in numerous novels, films, and television programmes set in Cambridge and is considered as emblematic of the university as any of its more formally celebrated landmarks.