Cambridge University has a long and unfortunate association with the dark art of spying, most notably the group known as the Cambridge Five, including Guy Burgess and Kim Philby among its members, all of them male. The film Red Joan tells the story of a female undergraduate who was lured into spying. Melita Norwood, born in 1912, was the longest serving of all Soviet spies in Britain, handing over secrets during a 40-year period which included details of the atomic bomb, an “achievement” which made her more highly valued to the KGB than the infamous Cambridge Five, comprising five male Cambridge undergraduates. Norwood’s story was the inspiration for the novel Red Joan by Jennie Rooney, which became the basis for the 2019 film of the same name, starring Judi Dench.
Although Norwood never attended Cambridge University, this seat of learning was the setting of the novel, and much of the filming for the film took place there. This was in part because the director Trevor Nunn came to know the city while studying there.
Three of the University colleges featured in the film: St John’s College, Newnham College and Downing College. Jennie Rooney attended St John’s College while studying at Cambridge, and the scenes shot there included the one featuring a visit to the top of the chapel tower to admire the view and the one involving a picnic on the River Cam. The crew had to be reduced to a maximum of 15 people for the filming at St John’s.
Located on St John’s Street off Bridge Street, St John’s lies on a site originally occupied by the Hospital of St John the Evangelist. The varied architecture includes the crenelated Great Gate and the famous Bridge of Sighs, one of the most photographed buildings in Cambridge. The college received its charter in April 1511, and its notable alumni include William Wilberforce, who was responsible for the abolition of the slave trade, and the actor Derek Jacobi. The college is currently closed to visitors.
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| St John's College, Cambridge 10052014-002. Photo by Yamen, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Newnham College, the University’s first all-female college, was the one attended by Red Joan in the film, and was used for scenes shot inside the accommodation block and a night-time scene. Founded in 1871, the college is housed in a handsome red brick building on Sidgwick Avenue to the south-west of the city centre. Previous alumnae include the actress Dame Emma Thompson, the writer Sylvia Plath and the Labour MP Diane Abbott. The college gardens are currently open to visitors, subject to restrictions.
Filming at Downing College featured the outside, which is on a busy road, so that the production team had to stop the traffic and remove any modern bikes which were parked outside. Downing College was founded in 1800 and its buildings of pale honey-coloured stone were built in the neo-classical style. Notable alumni include the actor John Cleese, the late film director Michael Winner and this film’s director Trevor Nunn. Downing College is currently closed to visitors.
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| Downing College Chapel. Photo by Herbert Baker, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Among the other establishments used for the filming is the All Saints Garden, which was used for the scene in which a group of students hold a rally against the Spanish Civil War. The garden forms part of All Saints Church on Jesus Lane, opposite Trinity and St John’s colleges. There is a weekly art and craft market held on the site.
Map of the city.
