The rhythmic thud of a squash ball echoes in my memory. Queens’ College in Cambridge. That’s where it all began. Not just any squash court but a specific set of courts. Built in 1936 as part of the Fisher Building development. They stood proudly west of the Fellows’ Garden. North of Fisher Building they replaced old lawn tennis courts.
Imagine those courts. Two courts sharing a central viewing gallery. You could reach it by climbing outside steps. Natural light streamed through glazed brick panels in the flat roofs. That gallery also led to a large storeroom. A useful space for storing students’ luggage during term time.
The north side of the building wasn’t just for squash. Seven lock-up garages housed the President and resident Fellows’ cars. Above the garages another large storeroom existed. It held the students’ trunks and baggage. One garage even became a scenery store for the college’s dramatic society.The Bats.
But time marches on. In July 1986 the squash courts and garages disappeared. They were demolished. This made way for Phase 3 of the Cripps Court development. Now known as Lyon Court this new building included three new squash courts. They opened in 1989 a modern replacement for the original courts.
The old Queens’ College squash courts may be gone. Their memory however lives on. They remind us of the college’s rich history. They are a testament to the changing needs of a university. A small part of a much larger story. The legacy of Queens’ College. A legacy of sport. Scholarship and community.