The Cockerell Building (Squire Law Library) is a Grade I listed building in the Cambridge local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 April 1950. Library. 1 related planning application.
The Cockerell Building (Squire Law Library)
- WRENN ID
- tired-truss-torch
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Cambridge
- Constituency
- Cambridge MP: Daniel Zeichner (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 26 April 1950
- Type
- Library
- Address
- The Cockerell Building (Squire Law Library), CB2 1TN
- OS grid reference
- TL 447 584
- Coordinates
- 52.20556, 0.11659
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Cockerell Building, also known as the Squire Law Library, is a Grade I listed structure built between 1837 and 1840 by C.R. Cockerell. It is located on the site of the old hall of King's College and serves as the northernmost range of the Old Schools buildings. The building features an ashlar facade and consists of three storeys. The entrance front showcases a Roman Doric giant order, while the long sides are adorned with Composite giant pilasters. The basement is rusticated. The main building has nine bays, with the entrance hall projecting to the east and a smaller projection to the west. Inside, there are two main rooms: the lower library, which includes free-standing Doric columns and Greek ornamentation, and the upper library, featuring a semi-circular barrel vault with diagonal coffering. Notably, there are two full-length marble statues: one of George I by Rysbrack, created around 1736, and another of George II by Joseph Wilton, made around 1765.
Local climate
The Cockerell Building (Squire Law Library) sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 96% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 82% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 32 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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