Capturing Cambridge
  • search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

7a Jesus Lane, The Pitt Club, Pizza Express

History of 7a Jesus Lane

The site was originally the entrance to the inn yard of the Hoop. Four coaches left for London every day (5s fare) as well as coaches to Huntingdon, Birmingham, Stamford, Bury and Leamington.

1861 (7)

John Whitaker, absent sleeping at Porter’s Lodge, b Cambridge

Louisa, 53, wife, college servant, b Norfolk

There is a Wikipedia article about the later building:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitt_Club

It was built by the Roman Bath Company. The main promoter of this venture in 1861, to create Turkish Baths in Cambridge, was Henry Staples Foster, mayor in 1849. However, bathing in the river was a more attractive proposition and the Turkish Baths were not a success. The company sold the premises in 1863.

The pool contained 38,000 gallons of water; it took seven hours to fill it with water heated to 62 degrees fahren. Soon after it was opened it was announced that invalids could use the baths at half-price; all members of the police force were entitled to free baths.

Cambridge builds a swimming pool and Roman baths in 1863, & closes it in 1864

William Pitt -a portrait in the Club reading room (MoC454/74)

A sporting undergraduate & typical member of the Pitt Club in the 1880s. From a lithograph in colour in the silence room of the Pitt Club. (MoC456/74)

1913

A W Parmenter, lodging housekeeper

University ‘Pitt’ Club, D G Marshall, steward

1941

The premises were made a British Restaurant.

1962

S Maletka, guest house

University Pitt Club, K E Gladwell, steward

Pitt Club (MoC449.74)

Pitt Club (MoC450.74)

Pitt Club (MoC450/74) Staircase with ‘spy’ cartoons of past members.

Pitt Club (MoC) reading room, originally the location of the plunge bath for the Roman Baths

1981

Strudel’s Restaurant

Share this article

Share on Bluesky

Contribute

Do you have any information about the people or places in this article? If so, then please let us know using the Contact page or by emailing capturingcambridge@museumofcambridge.org.uk.

Licence

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dear Visitor,

Thank you for exploring historical Cambridgeshire! We hope you enjoy your visit and, if you do,  would consider making a donation today.

Capturing Cambridge makes accessible thousands of photos and memories of Cambridge and its surrounding villages and towns. It is run by the Museum of Cambridge which, though 90 years old, is one of the most poorly publicly funded local history museums in the UK. It receives no core funding from local or central government nor from the University of Cambridge.

As a result, we are facing a crisis; we have no financial cushion – unlike many other museums in Cambridge – and are facing the need to drastically cut back our operations which could affect our ability to continue to run and develop this groundbreaking local history website.

If Capturing Cambridge matters to you, then the survival of the Museum of the Cambridge should matter as well. If you won’t support the preservation of your heritage, no-one else will! Your support is critical.

If you love Capturing Cambridge, and you are able to, we’d appreciate your support.

Every donation makes a world of difference.

Thank you,
Roger Lilley, Chair of Trustees
Museum of Cambridge