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King's Parade , originally the medieval High Street, is inevitably dominated by King's College and Chapel, but the higgledy-piggledy shops opposite are an attractive foil to William Wilkins's architectural screen. At the northern end of King's Parade is St Mary's the Great (daily 8am-6pm; free), the university's pet church, a sturdy Gothic structure dating from the fifteenth century. Its tower (Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun 12.30-5.30pm; GBP1.85) offers a good overall view of the colleges and a bird's-eye view of Market Hill , east of the church, where food and bric-a-brac stalls are set out daily. Opposite the church stands Senate House , an exercise in Palladian classicism by James Gibbs, and the scene of graduation ceremonies on the last Saturday in June, when champagne corks fly around the rabbit-fur collars and black gowns. It's not usually open to the public, though you can wander around the quad if the gate is open. The northern continuation of King's Parade is Trinity Street, a short way along which, on the left, is the main entrance to Gonville and Caius College (tel 01223/332400), known simply as Caius (pronounced "keys"), after the co-founder John Keys, who latinized his name, as was then the custom with men of learning. The design of the college owes much to Keys, who placed a gate on three sides of two adjoining courts, each representing a different stage on the path to academic enlightenment: the Gate of Humility, through which the student entered the college, now stands in the Fellows' Garden; the Gate of Virtue, sporting the female figures of Fame and Wealth, marks the entrance to Caius Court; while the Gate of Honour, capped with sundials and decorated with classical motifs, leads to Senate House Passage and on to Senate House. Senate House Passage continues west beyond the Gate of Honour to Trinity Lane and Trinity Hall (tel 01223/332500) - not to be confused with Trinity College - where the Elizabethan library retains several of its original chains, designed to prevent students from purloining the texts. A few metres to the south is the much more diverting Clare College (daily 10am-5pm; GBP2; tel 01223/333200). One of seven colleges founded, rather surprisingly, by women, its plain period-piece courtyards, completed in the early eighteenth century, lead to one of the most picturesque of all the bridges over the Cam, Clare Bridge . Beyond lies the Fellows' Garden, one of the loveliest college gardens open to the public (times as college). Back at the entrance to Clare, it's a few metres more to the North Gate of King's College, beside the chapel.
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