About The Union

The exact origin of the Society remains steeped in legend, but as the story goes the Union was founded in 1815 at the conclusion of a drunken brawl between several smaller College debating societies. The 'union' of the three societies provided the basis for the name 'The Cambridge Union Society.' The Union originally existed as a gentleman's club, the sole preserve of the rich and connected and, using the Union as a model, a similar society was subsequently formed in Oxford. This is in stark contrast to today, where all members of the University are welcomed amongst the diverse membership.

Three men are credited with being the Society's "Pious Founders": Henry Bickersteth (1783-1851) of Caius, known later as Lord Langdale, Sir Edward Hall Alderson (1787-1857) of Caius, and Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock (1783-1870) of Trinity. All three men were very accomplished gentlemen for their time and in addition to other noted titles they were all Senior Wranglers.

The first meeting of the new society was held on the 13th February 1815 and weekly meetings for debates on topical subjects were held every week in term until the 24th of March 1817. On the evening of the 24th the Society was debating the question "Is the increased attention to which has been paid to our Army likely to have a good effect upon society?" when the meeting was interrupted by University Proctors who, by order of the Vice-Chancellor, were sent to break up the meeting and instruct the members of the Union that all future meetings and said discussions were banned. At that time, the Cambridge Union was essentially outlawed for being too contentious and a waste of time in the eyes of the University.

Members of the Society quickly appealed directly to the Vice-Chancellor to allow the Union to continue on the basis of their rights to free speech and open discussion; however, the Society received a stern and blunt reply:

"I do not think it necessary, or perhaps proper, to return any answer to this statement. I had considered the subject fully in my own mind."

Finally, in 1821, the Union was allowed to reform and continue debates but only under new strict rules limiting the topics that could be discussed including a ban on any political discussions for events after 1800. True to its form as a home for upholding the right to free speech, the Union was known to readily violate these new regulations by discussing modern political topics in disguise. For example, one account recalls a discussion on women's suffrage conducted as what in the records appeared to be a debate about Adam and Eve.

The original meetings were held in "a low, ill-ventilated, ill-lit gallery at the back of the Red Lion Inn (in Petty Cury) - a cavernous tavernous - something between a commercial-room and a district-branch-meeting-house." Then, in 1832, the Society moved into its own space on the present location of the ADC Theatre and in 1850 another move was made to a "dingy old room in Green Street."

Finally, on the 30th October 1866 the Union moved into its current home, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, located behind the Round Church on a plot of land purchased from St. John's College for £925. Waterhouse won the commission after being selected by the membership in an open competition. The building was one of his earlier works and he was also subsequently selected to design the buildings for the Oxford Union. On the 24th February 1886 a major expansion to the west side of the original building was opened, including the spaces that are now occupied by the library and member's bar. After several fires and bomb damage from the Luftwaffe (some of the older volumes in the library still bear shrapnel scars) it continues to meet the needs of our members.

The Union really came into its own during the early half of the 20th Century, playing host to many statesmen. Eden, Lloyd George, Baldwin, Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt and James Ramsey MacDonald all spoke in the Chamber between the wars and many others have spoken here since. The economist John Maynard Keynes was President in Lent 1905 and the library is named after him. During the Second World War the Union stopped most of its activity for obvious reasons. The building did not, however, stay empty, as Field Marshall Montgomery used the Chamber for a meeting which laid some of the first draft plans for D-Day.

The war over, the Union resumed activity again. Shortly after India had gained independence in 1947, the first Indian Prime Minister, Nehru, came to Cambridge to address the Union. The sixties are perhaps best known for the series of public figures who began their careers here at the Union. Ken Clarke, Norman Lamont, Michael Howard and Leon Brittan were all Union officers during this time. Oliver Letwin and Chris Smith the Labour Cabinet Minister following shortly after in the seventies.

The Union has continued to play host to great figures of national and international importance. Recent years have seen the Chief UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix address the question of Weapons of Mass Destruction; the NATO Secretary General discuss international relations; Michael Moore argue against the Bush regime; the Dalai Lama speak for Tibetan independence; an address from President Reagan at the end of the Cold War; Archbishop Desmond Tutu has visited, as has former South African premier, F.W. de Klerk; Queen Noor of Jordan gave her views on the Middle East Peace Process at its height. Professor Stephen Hawking gives a lecture to the Union every other year. In 1999, at the height of the Kosovo crisis, the Union held the 'Kosovo Forum' which saw representatives from the Kosovo Liberation Army, the Serbian Government and the UNHCR come together for the first time. It was televised by the BBC, CNN & Sky News.

Union members have always been there as history is made.

Following these origins, the Cambridge Union Society today fiercely guards its independence and is an important complement to college life. It is a vibrant social and intellectual centre with a past that explains its present commitment to free speech and the needs of its members. The Union is what student life in Cambridge is all about, mingling tradition with modern issues, learning with living.