Cambridge students create 200m canal so they can punt at their May Ball
Students at one of the few Cambridge University colleges not set on the river have created a 200m canal to allow them to punt at their May Ball.
A team of undergraduates at Sidney Sussex spent a week building the incredible canal, which held a massive 88,000 gallons of water and snaked through the 16th Century college courts.
Guests at last night's May Ball, which had a Venetian theme, were even able to punt along the fake waterway, which flowed into a huge lake in the centre of the ancient college.
Little Venice: Students at Sidney Sussex college at Cambridge created a 200m canal for their Venetian themed May Ball
Denver Sheridan, 21, president of the May Ball committee, said: 'Other colleges in Cambridge have punting along the river, but we can't do that so we decided to build our own waterway.
'We thought it would be lovely to be able to actually punt through our college. It has taken a year to plan and a week to build but we're really pleased with the result.'
Students spent £5,000 making the U-shaped canal, which was constructed with scaffolding and plastic lining.
Phd undergraduates Adam Lawrance-Owen and Rob Weatherup spent months designing the river and it took a team of 10 more than a week to build.
Eight punts were on hand last night to chauffeur the 1200 guests down the canal to the massive 20 metre by 20 metre lake, which took up entire court in front of the dining hall.
Before: The Chapel Court at Sidney Sussex as it normally looks
After: Students spent £5,000 and one week creating the canal, which was so deep that guests were able to punt down it
'The rest of the college was decorated to look like historical Venice and the punts dropped guests at pretend ports along the canal,' Denver said.
'We thought the theme of Venice with its gondolas would be a bit of an unusual twist on Cambridge punting.'
Tickets for the ball cost £110 and guests were treated to lavish Italian food, chocolate fountains and continental cakes.
The canal was dismantled today.
Sidney Sussex, which was built in 1596, lies in the centre of Cambridge and has 350 undergraduates.
It has produced five Noble Prize winners and famous alumni include Oliver Cromwell, TV presenter Carol Vorderman, politician David Owen, former MPs John Patten and Ian Lang and even Sherlock Holmes.
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