Queens’
Welcome to Queens’ College!
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
Queens’ is one of the oldest colleges in Cambridge, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, and later refounded by Elizabeth Woodville in 1465 - hence Queens’ with the very particular apostrophe! Queens’ has some beautiful architecture, and recognisable features, such as the Mathematical Bridge which connects the ‘light side’ to the ‘dark side’, the more modern and older parts of college respectively.
As college reps for this year, we’re the first contact for Muslims at Queens’. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Pros
Queens’ is centrally located, just a short walk from the centre, and over the river!
There is a variety of accommodation in college, and the majority of people live on main site for all of their degree.
Queens’ is beautiful with lovely gardens, and Erasmus lawn, where you can sit on the grass, unlike many other colleges.
The buttery (cafeteria) serves reasonably priced meals three times a day, except on weekends when there is brunch (would recommend)!
Cons
A downside to Queens’ may be that en-suite accommodation tends to be quite expensive, and it can be quite difficult to obtain financial support.
Washing Facilities
Queens’ has two laundry sites in college, by FF staircase in Cripps on light side and by Dokett/Friars bike shed on dark side. Laundry is completely free! There are a few washers and dryers; usually, there are empty ones. There is also an ironing board etc.
Muslim Provisions
Prayer Space
There is a room in Queens’ in Cripps FF staircase that is currently in progress to become the multi-faith room. In Shaa Allah it will be open for use soon.
Halal Food
Just the chicken in the buttery is halal - but always ask, sometimes they say it’s not or there are other parts of the dish that is not halal. You can also request halal food at formals.
Fridge/freezer Provision
There isn’t really fridge/freezer provision, you can ask but they can decline your request to provide you with a fridge if the reason is for halal food - I was told to use Tupperware. However, you can keep your own fridge in your room.
Ensuite
All of Cripps, where most freshers live, has ensuite rooms or private bathrooms (a bathroom just outside your room). Of course, an en-suite would be more suitable, and you can stress this to the accommodation officer if you wish.
Other fresher accommodations, e.g. Friars, have shared bathrooms on the bottom floor for the whole staircase. But you will have a sink in your room to be able to do wudhu.
In general, Queens’ has a fair amount of ensuite accommodation for all years, so this should not be a worry.
Concluding Remark
We hope you have a great start to your time at Queens’, and may Allah make it beneficial for you. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.
Signed,
Hamdah Qalib (hq221) and Hamzah Iqbal (hai21)