Great Gate Fate Unclear For Trinity

The Great Gate at Trinity is going to have to undergo a big restoration project to stop the famous doors closing for the last time.

Cambridge University cambridgeshire council great gate mark townsend tourists Trinity College trinity street

Trinity is facing up to a 10 month repair job on the Great Gate at the front of the college in order to stop the doors become unusable.

The iconic oak-panelled doors facing out onto Trinity St have opened into the college’s illustrious past since 1530, ranging from the fame of royals to Nobel Prize winners.

However, the chance to tread exactly the same paths as extraordinary Trinitarians is in jeopardy.

The 480 year old Great Gate could be closed for good if repair work doesn’t begin very soon. The gates have become difficult to open and close, as over the years damaged hinges have caused the ancient wooden panels to warp and curve.

The plan is for conservationists to start removing the panels this July, before fitting steel plates in modern timbers to bolster the structure of the gates. The project is expected to take around 10 months.

The Great Gate still looks impressive, but is now difficult to open and close.

Mark Townsend, a conservationist architect who is leading a restoration project at the college thinks that the repairs could guarantee the “long term survival” of the doors.

While some are not keen on the idea of working on such a historic door, Townsend is keen to calm any fears that the appearance of the doors would be at damaged. He states that the project aims to “carry out repairs which are not visible, so the gates shouldn’t look any different from what you see now.”

Penelope Jenkins, a first year student at Trinity told The Tab that the repair work is something that must be done. She said: “It’s great fun to see all the tourists standing in front of the gates. They must be repaired in order to keep this entertainment.”

It is as yet uncertain whether the restoration work will damage the income from tourists or the aesthetics of the college, but it is hoped that the Great Gate will be back in action next May for future generations of students.