The Backs
The riverside college lawns and bridges behind the Cambridge colleges, listed as a Grade I historic park.
The Backs is the name given to the stretch of the River Cam, east of Queen's Road, where the rear grounds of several colleges meet the water on both banks. The name is literal: these are the backs of the colleges, seen from the river and the road rather than from their front courts.
The colleges and bridges
Working from north to south, the grounds belong to St John's (with the Bridge of Sighs), Trinity (with Trinity College Bridge), Trinity Hall, Clare (with Clare Bridge), King's and Queens' (with the Mathematical Bridge). Magdalene, Darwin and Jesus are sometimes counted in as well.
A short history
Until the 1500s this was pasture, orchard and garden land, crossed by timber bridges. The colleges later planted tree avenues and built stronger crossings. St John's brought in Lancelot "Capability" Brown (1716-1783) in 1772, and he laid out the "wilderness" beside Queen's Road that can still be seen. His grander 1779 scheme to turn the area into country-house parkland, even converting the river into a lake, was never carried out. After Dutch elm disease struck, a joint Backs Committee formed in 1979 to coordinate replanting, and in 1995 the area was listed as a Grade I historic park. Cattle are still seen grazing behind King's College.
Practical notes
Public access to the college grounds varies from college to college, so check before visiting. The river and the road bridges offer views from outside.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
