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Answer Key for the Churchill Facts Quiz

Thank you for completing the Churchill Facts Quiz from the 2025 Newsletter. Please find below the answers to the questions (1 point per answer).

1. In what year was the College founded?

The College was founded by Royal Charter in 1960.

2. Who was the architect for the original building of Churchill College?

Richard Sheppard was the architect for the original building of Churchill College.

A competition was held in 1959 to select an architect for the College. Twenty firms were invited to submit designs, all of them modernists. The winner was selected by the College trustees in June 1959: Richard Sheppard (1910–82), of Sheppard, Robson and Partners, who had hitherto specialised in schools for local authorities.

3. What was the first building on site?

The first building on site was the Sheppard Flats. Construction was completed in 1961, and they provided college facilities until 1964, with dining in a neighboring portacabin.

4. Who was the first Master of Churchill College and which Nobel Prize did he receive in 1951?

Sir John Cockcroft was the first Master of Churchill College. In 1951, he was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for “the transmutation of atomic nuclei by artificially accelerated atomic particles”.

5. Where is the stone pictured located in College?

This Foundation stone, laid by Lord Tedder in 1961, is located in the main concourse at the bottom of the stairs to the dining hall.

Two men in suits stand beside a brick structure. The man on the left places his hand on a stone block with engraved text, while the man on the right stands with a cane. A microphone is visible in the background.
6. Why did Francis Crick resign as a fellow and how were his objections overcome?

Francis Crick resigned as a Fellow because of the proposal to build a chapel “after the middle of the 20th century in a new college and in particular one with a scientific focus”.

The chapel was sited just to the west of the Sheppard Flats, funded and managed separately from the College itself, and referred to as “the Chapel at Churchill College”.

7. What is the College motto and where does it originate?

The College moto is “Forward”, abridged from Winston Churchill’s first speech to the House of Commons as Prime Minister – his famous “Blook, Toil, Tears and Sweat” speech – in which he said “Come, then, let us go forward together”.

8. Why are the College colours chocolate and pink?

Chocolate and pink were Winston Churchill’s racing colors (registered with jockey club in 1949).

9. What is the statue in this photo called?

Four-Square (Walk Through), by Dame Barbara Hepworth. This iconic sculpture was installed near the library in 1968, and has featured in generations of student photos.

10. What percentage of Churchill College students study STEM subjects?

Around 70% of Churchill students study STEM subjects.

11. In what year were female students first admitted?

The first female students were admitted to Churchill College in 1972.

12. In what year was the Churchill Archives Centre opened?

The Churchill Archives Centre was opened in 1973.

13. How many members of the College are Nobel Laureates?

The College currently counts 33 Nobel prize winners among its members (including alumni and Fellows, both past and present). These include Francis Crick, James Watson and Sir Bob Edwards.

Nobel Prize Winners
14. Since the founding of the College, how many Masters has the College had?

Eight. The College welcomed its eighth Master, Professor Sharon Peacock, in October 2024.

15. One of the College’s great strengths is the size of its site. How many acres is the College campus?

Churchill College is the largest of all the Cambridge Colleges, with a 50-acre campus. As well as facilities (including libraries, dining hall, sport, arts and leisure facilities) and beautiful parkland grounds, all Undergraduates are housed on site, and many Postgraduates also choose to live on site.