Night climbing in Cambridge
Encyclopedia
Night climbing is a term used principally at Oxford and Cambridge universities, England, to describe the sport of climbing up the walls of colleges and public buildings, and exploring the rooftops.
This activity is frowned on by college authorities, so it is mainly done under cover of darkness, to avoid detection.
It is a subset of buildering, or urban climbing, and is distinguished by the fact that it is usually carried out nocturnally by university students.
The original term for this activity was "Roof Climbing". The alternative term "Night Climbing" was introduced in the late 1930s, and has become the standard term.
, the great alpinist, started to climb the roofs of Cambridge University, England. Students had been scrambling up the university buildings for years , but Young was the first to document this activity. He wrote and published a night climbing guide to Trinity College .
In 1905, while a master at Eton College, Young produced his second book, a small volume on buildering, entitled "Wall and Roof Climbing" . This was a very erudite work, containing a rich variety of quotations from writers of many different periods and cultures.
In 1921, inspired by Young's guide to Trinity, a group of undergraduates, including Hartley, Grag and Darlington, published a night climbing guide to St John's College .
In 1930, John Hurst wrote the second edition of the guide to Trinity .
In 1937, a more comprehensive, though still light-hearted, account of Cambridge undergraduate night climbing appeared in popular print , written by Noël Howard Symington, under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith".
Night climbing remained popular in Cambridge after World War II. In 1960, Richard Williams wrote the third edition of the Trinity guide . In 1970, a book entitled "Night Climbing in Cambridge" was published under the pseudonym "Hederatus". Night climbing also featured prominently in a book by F A Reeve, entitled "Varsity Rags and Hoaxes" , published in 1977, and in the detective novel “The Bad Quarto” by Jill Paton Walsh , published in 2007.
In recent years, a number of books on night climbing in Cambridge have been published by Oleander Press, of Cambridge, as follows:
The identification of the first Cambridge night climber remains an open question, but Geoffrey Winthrop Young is generally regarded as the original pioneer.
In 1895, Geoffrey Winthrop Young pioneered the sport of night climbing in Cambridge, England.
This activity is frowned on by college authorities, so it is mainly done under cover of darkness, to avoid detection.
It is a subset of buildering, or urban climbing, and is distinguished by the fact that it is usually carried out nocturnally by university students.
The original term for this activity was "Roof Climbing". The alternative term "Night Climbing" was introduced in the late 1930s, and has become the standard term.
History
In 1895, Geoffrey Winthrop YoungGeoffrey Winthrop Young
Geoffrey Winthrop Young D.Litt. was a British climber, poet and educator, and author of several notable books on mountaineering.-Mountaineering:...
, the great alpinist, started to climb the roofs of Cambridge University, England. Students had been scrambling up the university buildings for years , but Young was the first to document this activity. He wrote and published a night climbing guide to Trinity College .
In 1905, while a master at Eton College, Young produced his second book, a small volume on buildering, entitled "Wall and Roof Climbing" . This was a very erudite work, containing a rich variety of quotations from writers of many different periods and cultures.
In 1921, inspired by Young's guide to Trinity, a group of undergraduates, including Hartley, Grag and Darlington, published a night climbing guide to St John's College .
In 1930, John Hurst wrote the second edition of the guide to Trinity .
In 1937, a more comprehensive, though still light-hearted, account of Cambridge undergraduate night climbing appeared in popular print , written by Noël Howard Symington, under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith".
Night climbing remained popular in Cambridge after World War II. In 1960, Richard Williams wrote the third edition of the Trinity guide . In 1970, a book entitled "Night Climbing in Cambridge" was published under the pseudonym "Hederatus". Night climbing also featured prominently in a book by F A Reeve, entitled "Varsity Rags and Hoaxes" , published in 1977, and in the detective novel “The Bad Quarto” by Jill Paton Walsh , published in 2007.
In recent years, a number of books on night climbing in Cambridge have been published by Oleander Press, of Cambridge, as follows:
- In 2007, they reprinted the Whipplesnaith book .
- In 2009, they reprinted Geoffrey Winthrop Young's first edition of the Trinity Guide , and the St John's Guide .
- In 2010, they reprinted John Hurst's second edition of the Trinity Guide , and Young's book "Wall and Roof Climbing" .
- In 2011, they published an omnibus edition of the three Trinity guides , including an introduction by Richard Williams which reviewed the history of night climbing in Cambridge from the 18th century to the present day. This introduction removed the cloak of anonymity that had previously protected the identities of the first nocturnal explorers. This book is the most significant addition to the night climbing literature that has been published in recent years.
The identification of the first Cambridge night climber remains an open question, but Geoffrey Winthrop Young is generally regarded as the original pioneer.
Famous night climbers
In the 1930s, Whipplesnaith (Noël Symington) climbed many buildings in Cambridge, England.In 1895, Geoffrey Winthrop Young pioneered the sport of night climbing in Cambridge, England.
See also
- BASE jumpingBASE jumpingBASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
- BuilderingBuilderingBuildering is the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering" is a portmanteau, combining the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering".If done without ropes or protection far off the ground, buildering may be dangerous...
- Craning
- Doorways in the SandDoorways in the SandDoorways in the Sand is a Nebula- and Hugo-nominated science fiction novel with mystery and comic elements by Roger Zelazny. It was originally published in serial form in the magazine Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact; the hardcover edition was first published in 1976 and the paperback in...
- ParkourParkourParkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...
- Safety Last!Safety Last!Safety Last! is a 1923 romantic comedy silent film starring Harold Lloyd. It includes one of the most famous images from the silent film era: Lloyd clutching the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper above moving traffic. The film was highly successful and critically...
- The Night Climbers of CambridgeThe Night Climbers of CambridgeThe Night Climbers of Cambridge is a book written under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith" about nocturnal climbing on the colleges and town buildings of Cambridge, England, in the 1930s....
External links
- Alain Robert Official website
- BBC announces Ascent of the Arche de la Defence
- Buildering.net
- FreakClimbing Buildering Gallery