Open Cambridge Events at Wolfson

Open Cambridge is a celebration of our community, the heritage, history and stories of Cambridge and the surrounding area - a showcase of extraordinary spaces, places and people.

At Wolfson, you can follow our extremely popular tree trail, discover Karen Spärk Jones's book collection and visit our exciting art exhibitions 'Things Put Differently' and 'Patterns of Renewal'.

Tree Trail

The Wolfson Tree Trail was launched last year, and we’re delighted to offer this unique self-guided tour through our grounds again for Open Cambridge.

No booking required. Children are most certainly welcome and will have plenty of space to explore - but please ensure they are accompanied at all times. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on the tree tour.

You can use our online tree trail or pick up a brochure from the Porters' Lodge.

Opening times:

10.00 - 16.00 every day, from Friday 8 September until Sunday 17 September 2023.

Art Exhibition: 'Things Put Differently'

In this exhibition Gavin Fry presents stitched works and the kernels of ideas including his sketchbooks and found objects. In these, the original ideas are the sandwiched disparate elements and gleaned things that later get fixed together. Only then do the stories they hold get written; and because they are built ragbag, they can be neither purely realist nor linear.

The themes explored in these works are identity, labelling, and the narrative associations of stitch. The artist’s material choices are deliberate: they enable him to play himself because his identity is partially constructed through making with stitch and thread, bits and bobs, and in turn, this has become a device to activate further inquiries.

Opening times:

10.00 - 17.00 on Saturday 9 September

10.10 - 17.00 on Sunday 10 September

No booking required.

Art Exhibition: 'Patterns of Renewal'

This exhibition presents a series of new works by Gurpran Rau. Conceived and created between 2020 and 2023, they offer a profound insight into a period of extreme uncertainty – as individuals, families and communities were forced to re-think their relationships with each other and the world around them.

As the world was thrown into the unknown territory of a global pandemic, many people found immense solace in the nature on their doorstep: familiar trees on their street, and modest plants at roadsides or on windowsills. Inspired by patterns made by sunlight filtering through trees in the forest, this series of paintings reflect both a period of great anxiety as well as being a testimony to the healing power of nature.

Opening times:

10.00 - 17.00 on Saturday 9 September

10.10 - 17.00 on Sunday 10 September

No booking required.

Karen Spärk Jones’s Eclectic Books

Join us to explore the many volumes collected by Karen Spärck Jones, the scientist often known as the woman who laid the foundation for the internet search engine.

A social space in College is lined with 2000 modern books on diverse topics, including a significant collection of books on arts and architecture. She also donated 200 rare books, printed prior to 1900, which are stored in the Library basement. The books are equally varied spanning Classics (the oldest book in the collection is a 1562 edition of Epistulae ad Familiares by Cicero), literature, history, geology, botany, and even the art of cookery (dating from 1747).

Visit us for a tour of Wolfson Library, a rare chance to look at her antiquarian books, as well as the opportunity to browse her modern collection too.

Book onto the tour:

11.00 - 12.00 on Monday 11 September

14.00 - 15.00 on Monday 11 September

Meeting Place: Porters Lodge

Garden Tour

Take some time out of your day to engage your senses with the sights and sounds of Wolfson's plants and wildlife.

Our lawned courtyards feature stunning herbaceous borders which contain a wide variety of plants and shrubs which provide structure, colour and interest through the year.

Several courts reflect a Chinese influence in the design and planting with many rare small Acers and other Asian trees. The retention of some majestic trees from the original site helps to give an atmosphere of maturity and permanence to a garden which has developed greatly over the last 30 years.

Gain a special insight into the evolution of the gardens and learn new skills relating to sustainability and biodiversity from our gardening team.

Book onto the tour:

14:00 - 15:00 on Wednesday 13 September

Meeting Place: Porters Lodge

This event is now fully booked.