School of Pythagoras, Grade I listed building in Cambridge, England
The School of Pythagoras is a stone building on Northampton Street with rubble walls dressed in Barnack stone and a vaulted undercroft beneath its main hall. The rectangular structure displays its original medieval design with period stonework still visible in its construction today.
Dating to 1200, it ranks among the oldest secular buildings in Cambridge, predating the university's founding. It remained under Oxford college ownership for nearly seven centuries before its later change in function.
The building takes its name from an ancient philosopher and transitioned from a private residence into an archive center, housing documents that reflect Cambridge's academic growth over centuries. Its rooms reveal how the space adapted to serve scholarship and memory preservation.
The building sits in central Cambridge along Northampton Street next to Merton Hall and is easy to reach from the historic town center. Keep in mind it functions as an active archive, so visiting hours may be limited.
For nearly seven centuries, it belonged to a college in Oxford despite being located in Cambridge, an unusual arrangement for medieval times. This cross-town ownership ended only in the mid-20th century, making it a rare example of how the two university cities shared connections.
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