The Grove & Chapel Lawn is our most spacious garden. It is part of the original garden of the Grove, a beautiful Regency house once occupied by Emma Darwin, wife of Charles Darwin. The Grove & Chapel Lawn offers a beautiful setting for receptions, garden parties and barbeques for up 500 people. The Plane Tree between the Chapel and the Grove is over 200 years old and provides refreshing shade for summer events. 

Among the colourful plants, the climbing rose and snail-shaped topiaries, the Grove’s stone veranda adds an elegant element to the garden.
The Sunken Garden, best seen from the bridge and facing the Auditorium Foyer, is a ‘planted moat’ that uses fountain grass and blue ‘Midnight Star’ to mimic water. 

This lawn was previously used by Fitzwilliam College Fellows to host receptions and garden parties, as it was conveniently located close to Fellows’ Parlour Room. No other members of the College were allowed to walk on Fellows’ Lawn. By special permission the lawn was allowed to be used for College events such as graduations. Happily, in recent times, restrictions have been eased to allow other groups to use the lawn. Situated on the left side of the main Hall Building, with its iconic white Lantern Roof, the lawn offers a relaxing place for receptions of up to 500 people.

This is one of our smaller, but no less beautiful, idyllic lawns where you can enjoy drinks and canapés with your guests of up to 60 people. Situated near the North entrance of the College, it is easily accessible via the Huntington Road car park. Situated next to the main Hall Building with its iconic white Lantern Roof, it is home to the ‘Dark Planet’, a sculpture by David Harber which has been created using hundreds of Welsh slate pieces joined together to form a sphere. It is transformed at dusk as light from inside permeates through the fissures between the stones.

Beyond the brutalist façade of Denys Lasdun’s buildings, there is our own secret garden, which few, beyond Fitz members, know about. Our enormous trees provide refreshing summer shade and a glorious autumn colour. Cedar Lawn is an ideal outdoor space for smaller intimate gatherings of up to 20 people, followed by a dinner with easy access to the Old SCR.