Wilson in Cambridge

Edward Wilson was a student in Cambridge in the 1890s, he was at Gonville and Caius college. So when I went to Cambridge I had to go and see where he lived. The entrance to the college isn't as obvious as that to some of the others, and that says a little about the college. It seems a little smaller, and certainly more intimate... I liked the atmosphere in the courts very much, the intimacy and the trees and the flowers.

I knew Wilson had a room over the gate, I just couldn't remember which gate. or rather I didn't really know there was more than one. When I went to ask at the Porter's Lodge they couldn't really help me, but one of the porters said he would try to find out while I wandered round the college. I walked through the second gate to visit the chapel. That turned out to be small and intimate as well. Knowing about his strong faith I am convinced that Wilson must have spent much time here as well.



Walking back from the chapel I could see the porter coming towards me. He'd been checking his history of the college for Edward Wilson and had found his name, but not which room he'd been in. As I was on my way to the Scott Polar Research Institute I promised to check out where the rooms were. I did, and found the reference in Wilson's biography "Cheltenham in Antarctica".

Later in the afternoon I went back to the college to talk to the porter again, and as I walked into the porter's lodge he was very happy to tell me he'd found out exactly which rooms were Wilson's by talking to the man who wrote a book on the history of Caius, professor Christopher Brooke! We had come up with the same information! Wilson lived over the Gate of Virtue, right in the centre of the college, next to the Chapel.



Wilson made a drawing of the Gate from the other side:



Then the porter really surprised me by asking me if I wanted to have a look at the rooms.... He got on the phone to the present occupant, and she agreed to let me see the rooms. So I went up there, along a very old spiralling staircase, and was admitted to the rooms. There is an inscription over the fireplace, stating that Edward Wilson lived there from 1892 to 1895. The fellow who now lives there also let me climb up to the roof to enjoy the view from the top of the gate. A very lovely private balcony. I had only expected to be able to see the rooms from the outside, and to be given the chance to have a proper look at them was very special. I am very grateful to the friendly people at Gonville and Caius College.

I didn't have my camera with me, so I couldn't take a picture, but I did find this one of the room at the time when Wilson lived here: