Rescuing & Restoring Our Home
The Society’s home - designed in 1865 by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1866 - is one of Cambridge’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic. A model for such buildings - both the Oxford Union and the Houses of Parliament owe much to its influence - it is at once a precious asset and (in its routine maintenance) a demanding liability.
Approaching its 14th decade, the fabric has seen much and suffered not a little in the years since its opening. Normal wear and tear, exacerbated by the tendency of previous generations to refashion the Union according to the prevailing “style” (the 1930s were particularly grievous in this regard) has taken its toll. In significant areas of the building Waterhouse’s original achievement is now hard to envision.
The Society aims to reverse these changes and to restore the building to its original condition. Some of this work is unglamorous (underpinning the foundations, repairing the roof, repointing the brickwork), some is relatively straightforward (removing false ceilings and encasements for example); but some will require greater ingenuity (re-instating the stained-glass and reconstructing the stairways of the Foyer as well as reversing the modernisation of the windows of the Blue Room, for example). It is clear, however, from restoration already undertaken, that such work will be transformational and not only of appearance. Much of what goes on in the Union owes its character to Waterhouse’s design: from the natural gravitas of the Chamber and the grandeur of the Fairfax Rhodes Reading Room to the stately yet relaxed proportions of the Mountbatten and Kennedy Rooms and the easy facility of the Bar. Rescuing the neglected and reinstating the damaged areas of the Union will help reinforce the strong sense of renewal now keenly felt by our resident members and will, at the same time, gift back to Cambridge one of its most iconic and charismatic buildings.
Funding the restoration of the Union’s home is a key objective of the 200th Anniversary Campaign.