The Holy Sepulchre (the round church) in Bridge Street.

In 1140 local members of the ‘fraternity of the Holy Sepulchre’ asked the abbot of Ramsey for land on which to build their church. Many of the 11th and 12th century churches were paid for by small communities in this way, but it is only when records survive, such as those kept at Ramsey that we have detailed accounts.

At some date between 1114 and 1130 Reinald (Reginald), Abbot of Ramsey, granted to the members of the fraternity of the Holy Sepulchre the graveyard of St Georges church and land adjoining, to build thereon a ‘monasterium’, in honour of God and the Holy Sepulchre, always providing that the church of Ramsey retained its rights there. It seems that Ramsey had been the patron of an earlier church of St George, but no other mention of it is known.

The architecture of the oldest part of the Holy Sepulchre is consistent with the date 1120-40. It is one of the four or five round churches in England.

Magdalene College was founded in 1542, taking over the buildings of an older college which had houses for Student monks from four abbeys, Crowland, Ely, Ramsey and (Saffron) Walden.

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