Herschel House, Herschel Road

History of Herschel House

Herschel Road was named after the astronomer, William Herschel.

William Herschel in 1785

Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, who lives in Herschel Road, has written: Just a piece of ‘local’ knowledge. You probably know that Martin Ryle was a previous occupant of our house in Herschel Road. But so also, for several years, was his colleague Graham Smith, who went on to be head of Jodrell Bank — and also astronomer royal.  So three ARs have lived here! Graham lives in retirement in Anglesey He was 100 this April –but is still in remarkable health, and with many memories  of the late 1940s and the 1950s when the first radio telescopes (before Lords Bridge) were built at the bottom of the garden on what’s now the rugby practice field.

1913

Rev John Bascombe Lock, Senior Fellow Gonville and Caius College

Herschel House

1923-4

In 1923 the celebrated climber George Herbert Leigh Mallory was employed at the Extra Mural Studies Department of the university.

George and Ruth Mallory moved to Herschel House in October 1923. The details of the move are described in The Wildest Dream, Peter and Leni Gillman, pub 2010, p230f. Three days after their move, George’s employers gave him permission to take leave of absence to go on the Everest expedition. he was then declared medically fit to go on 6th November.

Ruth had signed the lease for the house on 2nd November with her father acting as witness. Meanwhile the Mount Everest Committee decided not to pay George Mallory anything for his writings. George and Ruth were reunited at Herschel House in early November, followed soon after by their children. the house was being redecorated; the squash court was brought back into use and a tennis court set up on the lawn.

George’s work as an extra-mural lecturer meant that he had to deliver evening lectures at Raunds in Northamptonshire or at Halstead in Essex. His topic was the democratic origins of the 17th century. Ruth would sometimes accompany him.

That Christmas George and Ruth went to the peak District for a week. In the New Year they were at Herschel House. There marriage was going through a difficult phase however; George was torn over whether to go to Everest and Ruth was torn over whether to let him go. Their finances were very stretched as they had not yet sold their previous house. Ruth didn’t like some of George’s intellectual Cambridge friends.

George finally left England on the SS California on 29th February.

It was in June of that year he went missing on the north slope of Mount Everest with colleague Andrew C ‘Sandy’  Irvine.

At the end of June a memorial service was held in Magdalene College Chapel. (See Warwick and Warwicks Advertiser 5.7.1924)

There is an obituary in the Civil and Miltary Gazette (Lahore) 24.7.1924.

In 1923 Magdalene College made available on-line their collection of Mallory’s letters:

https://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/news/george-mallory-letters

The portrait of George dated 19.5.1916 would have been taken just a few days before he was deployed in France with the Royal Garrison Artillery for the first time.

1937

Mrs Burkitt