The Night Climbers of Cambridge
Encyclopedia
The 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.
"Whipplesnaith" is a pseudonym for Noël Howard Symington. The book was originally published in October 1937 by Chatto and Windus
, revised in November 1937 and reprinted in 1952 and 1953. The second edition contains a reordered selection of photographs and a missing diagram explaining the escape from the roof of the Marks and Spencer.
The book was highly sought after, especially in Cambridge itself where it was regarded as one of few "guidebooks" to the routes onto the roofs of the town's ancient buildings. Famous climbs documented in the book are the King's College
and St John's College chapels and the "Senate House
leap".
A new authorised edition of The Night Climbers of Cambridge was published on 26 October 2007 by Oleander Press, Cambridge, to mark the 70th anniversary of the original edition.
An omnibus edition of The Roof Climber's Guide to Trinity was published on 11 July 2011 by Oleander. Its introduction contains further details about Symington and his book.
Symington stood for Harborough
in 1950
as an independent Mosleyite
candidate, receiving 273 votes. In 1958 he published the book Return to Responsibility: A New Concept of the Case for Fascism in the Post-War World.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England, in the 1930s.
"Whipplesnaith" is a pseudonym for Noël Howard Symington. The book was originally published in October 1937 by Chatto and Windus
Chatto and Windus
Chatto & Windus has been, since 1987, an imprint of Random House, publishers. It was originally an important publisher of books in London, founded in the Victorian era....
, revised in November 1937 and reprinted in 1952 and 1953. The second edition contains a reordered selection of photographs and a missing diagram explaining the escape from the roof of the Marks and Spencer.
The book was highly sought after, especially in Cambridge itself where it was regarded as one of few "guidebooks" to the routes onto the roofs of the town's ancient buildings. Famous climbs documented in the book are the King's College
King's College Chapel, Cambridge
King's College Chapel is the chapel to King's College of the University of Cambridge, and is one of the finest examples of late Gothic English architecture, while its early Renaissance rood screen separating the nave and chancel, erected in 1532-36 in a striking contrast of style, has been called...
and St John's College chapels and the "Senate House
Senate House (University of Cambridge)
The Senate House of the University of Cambridge is now used mainly for degree ceremonies. It was formerly also used for meetings of the Council of the Senate...
leap".
A new authorised edition of The Night Climbers of Cambridge was published on 26 October 2007 by Oleander Press, Cambridge, to mark the 70th anniversary of the original edition.
An omnibus edition of The Roof Climber's Guide to Trinity was published on 11 July 2011 by Oleander. Its introduction contains further details about Symington and his book.
Symington stood for Harborough
Harborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Harborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in 1950
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
as an independent Mosleyite
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
candidate, receiving 273 votes. In 1958 he published the book Return to Responsibility: A New Concept of the Case for Fascism in the Post-War World.
See also
- 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...
- Night climbing in CambridgeNight climbing in CambridgeNight 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....
- Geoffrey Winthrop YoungGeoffrey Winthrop YoungGeoffrey Winthrop Young D.Litt. was a British climber, poet and educator, and author of several notable books on mountaineering.-Mountaineering:...
- Ivo StourtonIvo StourtonIvo James Benedict Stourton is the son of journalist and broadcaster Edward Stourton. He was educated at Eton College. Stourton first came into the public eye at the age of 17 when he wrote and starred in Kassandra, an award-winning Edinburgh Festival production about the Vietnam war...
- Nick RaynsfordNick RaynsfordWyvill Richard Nicolls Raynsford , known as Nick Raynsford, is a British Labour Party politician. A government minister from 1997 to 2005, he has been the Member of Parliament for Greenwich & Woolwich since 1997, having previously been MP for Greenwich from 1992 to 1997, and for Fulham from 1986...
External links
- Night Climbing in Cambridge, Cambridge University Caving Club journal, 1983
- Students risked their lives to scale the night time heights, Cambridge News, 24 April 2007
- Nocturnal missions, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 10 June 2007 - Confessions of a night climber, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 2 November 2007 - A stegophilic view of Cambridge spires, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, 29 December 2007 - Urban climbing, 1930s style, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 21 May. 2009