Subseries 04 - Plans and drawings of Gates of Honour, Humility and Virtue

GC/DOM/PD/04

1 drawer

97.057 - Plans for late twentieth century projects were transferred to the Archive from the Domestic Bursar's Office, 1997.

The Gate of Honour or porta honoris was built on the south side of the then newly built court now known as Caius Court in 1575. It was paid for by Dr Caius but not built until after his death. The Gate of Virtue had previously been built in 1567-9 on the east side of this court. The trio was completed by the Gate of Humility which stood to the east of the Gate of Virtue at then end of an alley connecting the two (now enclosed as Tree Court), forming the main entrance to the College. The student entered the College through the Gate of Humility, passed during his College life through the Gate of Virtue and progressed to the University Schools from the Gate of Honour. The original Gate of Humility was removed firstly to Senate House passage and finally to the south wall of the Master's Garden during the re-building of Tree Court in 1868. All of the Gates, in particular the Gate of Honour, have been the subject of a number of restoration projects and alterations, of which these plans and drawings are the record.

For further information regarding the gates, see also Biographical History of Gonville and Caius College, Volume III (1901), p.49 and Vol VII (1978), pp.534-40; C.N.L. Brooke, History of Gonville and Caius College (Boydell, 1985), pp.65-7; Willis and Clark, Architectural History of the University of Cambridge, Volume I; J. Venn, Annals of Gonville and Caius College.

For related buildings see the plans of Caius Court and Tree Court. For representations of the gates see the Photographic collection (PH) and also the College's picture collection. The earliest representation of the Gates in their original form and position is a Loggan print of c.1690.