The Night Climbers of Cambridge

[baleanoptera]

A secret society of university students who, during the 1930’s, spend their nights climbing the old buildings of Cambridge? It sounds like a wonderful, inventive novel doesn’t it. Except it’s true.

There was such a secret society, and they called themselves The Night Climbers of Cambridge. They even wrote a book about the exploits – and (which is the part I love the most) took pictures of the nightly climbs.


Market Fountain


Caius to the Senate House

The book was originally published in 1937, written under the pseudonym of Whipplesnaith, and ever since its publication it has been something of a cult phenomenon. In October last year an anniversary edition of the book, titled The Night Climbers of Cambridge, was published by Oleander press.


Fitz Museum Lion Chimney

But the book is also available on the net here. It’s a strange book which mixes literary quotes, philosophy and more practical climbing advice. Personally I’m particularly fond of the drainpipe climbing technique and the escape map.


Map of the Escape


Perpetrators

For a climber is as a man standing on the edge of an abyss. The chance of falling over or of the ground crumbling beneath his feet is negligible, yet his very closeness to the edge makes him think. He cannot but visualize what would happen if he stepped forward, and realizes with a shock of what very small significance it would be. The sun would still be shining, and the waterfall would still be roaring below. And suddenly he realizes, perhaps far the first time in his life, what a friendly fellow the sun is, what vividness there is in the green around him.

There is a kind of fear which is very closely akin to love, and this is the fear which the climber enjoys. It is, to use a contradictory term, a brave fear; a fear which announces its presence, perhaps very loudly, but raises no insuperable barrier to achievement. The climber enjoys being frightened, because he knows that fear is no impediment.
- From The Night Climbers of Cambridge

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What can I say - I'm utterly fascinated.

For those of you who read Swedish there is an excellent article about the Night Climbers here, written Lars Burman, a professor in Literature at Uppsala University.

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

That is unbearably cool! More than anything, I love their name. It's so evocative and makes me want to write a weird dark fantasy novel by that name.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I know! It's so cool I can hardly believe it is real, if that makes sense. And a weird, dark fantasy novel would be perfect I think!

[lage-nom-ai.livejournal.com]

I'd never head of them. How very cool!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard of them before yesterday either - but I'm fascinated. And a bit horrified. But mostly fascinated, and under the belief that this would make a great movie and/or book.

Also I love the grainy, ghostlike quality of the photos. The book is also great as it is written in a very British "hello old sport"-type of style.

[schionatulander.livejournal.com]

They don't seem to have taken any security precautions etc. while climbing! Then, that was most probably part of the thrill... How did you come across this? It's fascinating!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

At one point in the book they even say that using rope while climbing is only a hindrance, and that the climber shouldn't bother.

I found out about the story through the Swedish article listed above (which is sadly only in Swedish). It tells about the phenomenon of Night Climbers, and the professor combines it with some musing on Space/place theory - in that the students climbing reclaim in a way the buildings. He also sees the climbing as a rebellion against the power structure of the university which the buildings can be taken to represent.

I just found the whole phenomenon extremely fascinating and very strange, and I must agree with the article in the assessment that there is something special about climbing the buildings of Cambridge rather than just any buildings.

[dianora77.livejournal.com]

Nutters! I love it. :D

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I know - it's like something out of a book. It has this wonderful surreal quality. :)

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

How wonderful! It really does seem straight out of fiction. Thank you so much for sharing this! :)

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

The more I think about it, the more I wish someone would make a film or write a book about it. For instance I loved nutmeg3's idea about a weird fantasy.

So glad you also found it fascinating. :)