Robinson College is the most recent addition to the 31 colleges which make up the University of Cambridge. It owes its foundation to the generosity of Sir David Robinson who founded Robinson Rentals, one of the first television rental companies. He also owned a successful racing stable in Newmarket. His endowment is the largest single gift ever accepted by the University.
Planning for the College began in 1973 when Trustees were appointed; building began in 1977 and the College moved into its new accommodation in October 1980. Her Majesty the Queen officially opened the College on 29th May 1981.
The buildings, together with houses on the site, form a Cambridge College of moderate size which can accommodate nearly 400 undergraduates, 60 or more Fellows, over 100 post-graduate students and some visiting scholars largely from other countries.
Robinson College provides a unique environment for national and international conferences. From the outset Robinson College was planned with the needs of conferences very much in mind. Set in several acres of attractive wooded gardens yet only a few minutes' walk from the city centre and the famous "Backs", the College building is architecturally striking and highly functional.
The College has been a venue for residential and non-residential conferences and meetings since 1981 and over the years has steadily grown in experience and reputation. It is now considered by conference organisers and delegates to be one of the leading university conference venues in the UK.