Westminster College

Westminster College is delighted to welcome  guests to stay at the College. Rooms are simply furnished, but welcoming, and a small number of en-suite rooms are available. Westminster has a set of rooms fully equipped for those living with disability.

Westminster can offer dining in their traditional panelled dining room for up to 130 guests and up to 300 guests in the College grounds in a marquee.  The College offers a varied menu selection to suit all tastes.

Westminster College offers a stunning location in the heart of Cambridge, with a relaxing atmosphere. We have a team of staff with a wealth of hospitality and event planning experience, all contributing to your day to remember.

We have two packages available – the Exclusive Use package and the Grounds Hire package.

Both can be altered to suit your needs and requirements but give you great value for money. As it’s difficult to imagine a ‘per head’ price, we’ve put together an example wedding. Should you have 100 guests, with the exclusive use package, opting for a mid-range menu at £42.95 per head (which includes 2 reception drinks and a toast drink), before any additional bar, wine or entertainment costs it works out at £62.95 per head.

Regardless of which suits you best, we thoroughly recommend coming along to visit the building and grounds, and having a talk with our Conference and Events Manager.

Westminster College did not begin its life in Cambridge, but in London in 1844. Then the College of the Presbyterian Church in England, it commenced lectures in Exeter Hall before finally moving in 1859 to the more settled site of Queen's Square, London. The College did not move to Cambridge until 1899 (and this only after some hesitation on the part of the church) where a strategic site had been gifted to the church by two remarkable Scottish sisters, Mrs Lewis and Mrs Gibson.

The period immediately following the College’s arrival at Cambridge was perhaps the most distinguished period of the College’s life. John Skinner was to be joined by Professor John Oman, a Scot, who was to be one of the outstanding theologians of the day and a pioneer in the introduction of the theology of Schleiermacher into English speaking theology.

Oman was eventually to be succeeded by H.H. Farmer who, in addition to his professorship at Westminster, held the Norris -Hulse Chair in the University and made a significant contribution to theology through his various publications. Theology, however, was not the only subject in which distinguished contributions were made. John Skinner was succeeded by W.A.L Elmslie whose scholarly work in the field of Old Testament studies was held in high repute. Similarly, Patrick Carnegie Simpson, who held the chair in Church History, wrote notable works on W. Roberston Smith and the famous heresy trial which his work provoked, as well as a highly regarded life of Principal Rainy of New College, Edinburgh.

These giants would in time be replaced by men of similar stature such as J. Young Campbell, Roy Whitehorn, Francis Healey, Basil Hall, R. Buick Knox and Alan McLeod. More recently, distinguished figures such as John O’Neil, later to be Professor of New Testament at the University of Edinburgh, and Martin Cressey, Principal of the College and Principal Clerk to the General Assembly, as well as a senior figure in international ecumenical circles, have served Westminster well.

The two most significant institutional events in the life of the College are undoubtedly the union of Westminster and Cheshunt Colleges in 1967 and the formation of the United Reformed Church in 1972. The union of the congregational and presbyterian Colleges predated and pre-figured the later union of Presbyterian and Congregational churches in England. It also meant that Westminster’s distinguished roster of staff was to be augmented by equally vital figures from Cheshunt, such as its President John Newport, John Geyer and Stephen Mayor, who was the first Director of the Cheshunt Foundation.

Westminster has had many distinguished students over the years and only a fraction can be recorded here. But of those who have contributed to the life of the College and then gone on to make outstanding contributions to the wider church and academy we record. T.W. Manson, the brilliant biblical scholar and Rylands Professor in the University of Manchester. Lesslie Newbigin, ecumenist, bishop, scholar and pioneer of the Church of South India. William Paton, a precursor to Newbigin and a seminal figure in modern ecumenism. John Hick, one of the world’s leading philosophers of religion and W.D. Davies, famous for his groundbreaking work on Paul and his Jewish background. To these, and indeed to all the students who have given so much to Westminster, the College is deeply grateful.