Visit to King’s College 2026

Virginia Woolf Summer Course 2026: Woolf and the Natural World

We paid a hugely interesting visit to King’s College on the afternoon of Wednesday 5 August. Thanks to Dr Peter Jones, Fellow of King’s College, and Mr Steve Coghill, Head Gardener at King’s, for their fascinating talks about the history, buildings, and gardens of King’s College. Steve talked about his work with drought-resistant plants and about the wildflower meadow which the College has planted to replace a large portion of the grass monoculture in front of the chapel. The meadow had just been harvested, with the seeds going to a Cambridge city park, to Cambridge colleges, and to other bodies who are working hard to support bees and other pollinators. Steve also talked about the College’s capacity to catch water from its roofs, and the hope to do more. Many institutions and homes in Cambridge have rainwater tanks; it’s one way to deal with the severe water shortage that has developed all over the south of England. (Minimising our use of AI is another way to save water.)

Peter gave us a history of King’s College chapel and the college buildings. We were privileged to see art works by Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, and Dora Carrington in various rooms. We were delighted to step into the room that was once occupied by Dadie Rylands, who hosted Woolf for lunch in the late 1920s. She describes the lunch, with comic exaggeration, in a famous section of A Room of One’s Own (1929).

Thanks to Jeremy Peters @jezpete for the marvellous photos. We will post more photos soon.