In 1326, the University, under the Chancellorship of Richard de Badew, founded University Hall, two messuages in Milne Street being assigned as a residence for its scholars. Little is known of the new college, but within a decade of its foundation, the founder was forced to seek a patron to rebuild the college, possibly after a disastrous fire. It was presumably Badew’s connection with the Clares that he turned to Lady Elizabeth de Clare for assistance and she refounded it as Clare Hall, endowing it with the advowsons of Littlington in 1336 and Great Gransden and Duxford in 1346, and providing it with a set of statutes in 1356. Thus provision was made for a Master and 15 Scholars (later called Fellows) and also 10 poor scholars.
Thanks to multiple endowments, including land at Potton, Everton and Gamlingay, Clare’s wealth and size grew steadily until it was necessary to completely rebuild the college. After a long legal wrangle, land was acquired from King’s College and between 1638 and the early eighteenth century, the buildings that form Old Court were erected together with the bridge which was completed in 1640. Further substantial additions to the College were not required until the twentieth century, when Memorial Court, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, built on the West side of the river, was opened in 1926 and extended later in the century. As admission numbers continued to rise, further extensions to College accommodation saw college property on Chesterton Lane consolidated into The Colony and St Regis Flats built on Chesterton Road.
Matriculated at Clare, 1950
Master of Clare College (1654-1660)
In 1970 Stearn and Son joined Eaden Lilley Photographers.
The copyright of the photos taken by Eaden Lilley has now passed to Lafayette Photography.
Edward Leigh (1913-1998)
Working Dates: 1946 -1983
Edward Leigh was one of the few professional photographers to obtain a prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society as well as a Fellowship of the Institute of British Photographers (the professional photographers' own body).
His photographic career spanned over 50 years. Before WW2 he worked as a fashion photographer and a stills cameraman for Fox Film Studios, later 20th Century Fox. During the war his printing skills were employed by RAF Oakington to process at great speed the aerial recognisance photographs which were assembled into the mosaic maps used by Bomber Command.
After the war Edward set up his own studio on Kings Parade in the centre of Cambridge, living on the premises. Edward did a great deal of work for University Departments and Cambridge Colleges, Including matriculation and graduation photos, portraits of fellows and visiting Royals. Many of his architectural photographs have been used for decades in books on Cambridge. He was a much sought after industrial photographer, skilled in the use of lighting and good at composition.
When Edward retired, his son John Edward Leigh took over the business, still at 22 Derby Road, Cambridge, which he listed as specialising in advertising photography, for a short period around 1983-85, before the business finally closed.
Working for Edward Leigh at different times were Doug Rattle, Peter Lofts and Frank Bird.
Born in 1835 and was the fourth son of Henry, merchant of London.
School: Tonbridge.
Admitted to Clare as a pensioner on 16 March 1853.
Matriculated at Easter 1853.
Scholar; B.A. (13th Wrangler) 1857; M.A. 1860.
Fellow, 1858-1916.
Deputy Bursar, 1863-1880, and Bursar, 1880-1895.
Mathematical Lecturer, 1863-95.
For a short time in the Indian Educational Dept.
An enthusiastic athlete, and member of the Alpine Club.
Lived latterly at Chumleigh, Devon.
Died 17 May 1916, at Torquay.