The College has embarked on an ambitious project to develop Owlstone Croft into the best postgraduate centre in Cambridge, with works now underway at the site. This project, with a current estimated cost of £40 million, was kick-started by an extremely generous initial philanthropic donation. Owlstone Croft is a short walk from Silver Street and has been home to a large number of Queens’ students since 1989.
Development of the site is essential to give our growing postgraduate population a fitting home that truly feels like an integrated part of the College. It will have four new blocks (as illustrated), 60 student study-bedrooms and 87 student rooms. Communal spaces will include a gym, a café, multiple meeting and seminar rooms, a launderette, shared kitchens, as well as landscaped gardens.
The new buildings have been designed to Passivhaus standards and the existing buildings will be refurbished to improve their functionality and thermal performance. The project aims to create spacious, inclusive spaces that replicate the sense of community that works so well at Silver Street – we want to create homes, not just rooms.
As this ambitious project progresses, we will update this page, including about giving and naming opportunities.
In 2023, the College acquired a striking property on Grange Road, close to Newnham College – our first major acquisition in central Cambridge since 1988.
The building, previously the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, is now home to over 30 undergraduates and postgraduates who have access to an on-site study space (currently known as the Lash Library), a spacious communal area, and a large garden.
We aim to convert the site’s chapel into a College Archive Centre; bringing archives together in one specialist space for the first time since the 1960s. The archives previously held at Owlstone Croft have already been moved to the chapel. We are hoping to raise almost £1 million to renovate and secure the space.
This will also allow us to bring the collections currently held at the University Library to Grange Road, enabling more students and academics to access our exceptional archive materials.
Improvements to Fisher Building and Cripps Court will follow these two major projects.
Erasmus, which was first opened in 1961, has recently undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment. The project began in July 2024 and was completed ahead of schedule in May 2025. Fully funded through philanthropy, the project aimed to address the environmental demands of the present day by enhancing energy efficiency, improving accessibility, and strengthening the building’s long-term environmental resilience. This is the first project in a series of major refurbishments planned for the 21st century, in line with the Governing Body of the College’s principles to decarbonise the estate and improve access wherever possible.
The refurbishment of the Erasmus Building has been made possible the generosity of our donors.
If you are interested in supporting any of these projects, please contact the Alumni Office by emailing development@queens.cam.ac.uk. Thank you.
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