College have confirmed that the Campanile will remain under construction until December in an update that is likely to disappoint camera-ready graduates due for commencement in Michaelmas term.
Students were informed in June that essential repair and maintenance conservation works would begin on the bell tower, including “masonry repairs, repair to ironwork elements, repair of the historic entrance door, and minor maintenance alterations”.
These efforts have seen scaffolding erected around the iconic College landmark and have disrupted the view of the 19th century bell tower.
Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2024, a majority of whom completed more than a year of their degrees remotely due to pandemic restrictions, will consequently feature a backdrop of scaffolding and repair works.
One prospective graduate told Trinity News of their disappointment at the announcement: “I’m really upset about it.”
“Particularly given the start we had to college, this is a very disappointing end.”
Accessibility to the base of the structure will also be impacted as a result of the closure of the Library Square pathway for the duration of the project.
These works, while essential, are likely to cause disappointment to tradition-following students who hope to capture a picture with the structure, synonymous with College life, on their graduation day.
Disappointment is also likely to be felt by tourists who flock to Front Square hoping to experience the beauty of one of the world’s final Renaissance universities.
The restorative works come following the restoration of the Rubrics, College’s oldest standing structure, which were completed last February.
The Campanile of today is just one in a long-line of bell towers which have stood in the location. This lineage traces its way back to a tower which stood on the site prior to College’s establishment as a university in the 16th century.
Today’s Campanile replaced an earlier Campanile constructed in the 1740s. This bell tower was subsequently replaced over concerns surrounding the structural integrity of the monument.
Additional reporting by David Wolfe.
