Bridge of Sighs (Cambridge)
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The Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge is a bridge belonging to St. John's College of Cambridge University. It was built in 1831 and crosses the River Cam between the college's Third Court and New Court. The architect was Henry Hutchinson.
It is named after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, although they have little architecturally in common beyond the fact that they are both covered. The bridge is one of Cambridge's main tourist attractions—Queen Victoria is said to have loved it more than any other spot in the city.
On two separate occasions, students have pulled the prank of dangling a car under the bridge. In the first incident (in 1963), a 1928 Austin Seven was punted down the river using four punts that had been lashed together - then hoisted up under the bridge using ropes. The second incident (in 1968) a Bond three-wheeler car was dangled under the bridge. In neither case was the bridge damaged.
Locals jest that the bridge is named in reference to the sound that Cambridge students make as they cross the bridge on their way out of exams.
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