Landslide threatens to harm world-famous Mathematical Bridge

The view looking over the Mathematical Bridge is one of the most Instagrammed spots in Cambridge. However, the picturesque location has been muddied by a landslide near the base of the famous bridge.

At around 2.15am in the morning, a group of Queens’ students were walking back into college from a night out when they heard a splash.

Arjun Sobnack was amongst that group. The Mathematics second year told The Tab, “I was stumbling drunkenly back to college last night, and whilst crossing the mathematical bridge I heard an almighty crash.

“I instantly swung around and saw, to my horror, that Queens’ college was collapsing into the River Cam. I feared the bridge I had once thought of as the surest of footing would collapse too, taking me down to the murky depths to be forgotten.

“Time slowed. An eternity later, when I’d noticed the dry-ness of my state, I counted myself lucky. God had clearly smiled upon me, but warned me of something: drink less or drink more – I have yet to figure out which.”

Cambridge’s normally pristine grass falls into disrepair

On the morning of the 27th, members of the college staff were forced to cordon off the area with bright orange netting, ruining the aesthetics of the bridge.

According to Jed Ramsay, a specialist on Cambridge Conservation, the incident was caused by “river erosion” that led to the base of the wall collapsing.

Fortunately this was not one of the historic fifteenth century walls, but a modern construction.

Second year HSPS student Matteo Violet Vianello doesn’t have much time for the melodrama, saying “I don’t know why people are so shocked. They should build a bridge and get over it.”

Tourists taking selfies by Queens’ college

The Tab spoke to Porter Matt at the college, who explained that “it’s going to be a long, long time” before they repair the damage.

The college is going “to have to block off the river at that point, drain the water, and call in some structural engineers to have a look”.

Questions have been flying around as to whether the college could have done anything to prevent the landslide.

A source who has been in the college for a long time questioned, “Why didn’t the college look at the structural integrity of the bank three years ago when they were doing all of the work to it?”

The source explained, “Three years ago there was a car park over the area fitted with a system for draining rainwater into the river.” The college took this all out and put “hundreds of tonnes of soil on bank”.

Thereafter, the source suggested that “no checks were done” with regards to the structural integrity of the bank. 

The following day, the Queens’ Admissions Office tweeted the news to its 441 followers. The tweet features an image of the wrecked river bank, with the caption ‘The River Cam attempting to create a diversion’.

We will let this news sink in for you…