Students at this landlocked Cambridge University college built their own 650ft Venetian CANAL for their traditional May Ball so they could still enjoy a riverside punting experience.
Sidney Sussex College built an artificial lake and river costing £5,000 for Wednesday night’s ball as it is one of the few colleges which does not have access to the River Cam.
As these stunning photos of the giant canal prove you do not have to punt on the real river to have a ball.
president of the May Ball committee Denver Sheridan, 21, a third year History student, said: ”The idea has been around for 10 years and this year we decided to make it happen.
”All guests were taken on a punt from the entrance to to the dining tent. For the rest of the evening it was an attraction filled with guests on punts going round on it.
”It was fantastic and went really well everyone worked so hard to make it special. It had a lovely Venetian feel and the punts nice twist on Venetian gonodolas.
”There’s a bit of competition between the colleges but I think we killed them all.
Teams of students worked throughout day and night for a week to build the scaffolding and create a damp-proof skin filled with 88,000 gallons of water.
The 650FT (200m) canal flowed from Hall Court through the Porter’s Lodge under an archway ended with a giant 65ftX65ft (20m by 20m) lake at 16th century Chapel Court.
The lake featured giant fountains and waterfall and nine steps which lead some of the 1,200 guests to their punts.
The dazzling display was created by engineering students Rob Weatherup, 23, and Adam Lawrance-Owen, 24, and cost £5,000.
Seven boats were navigated by qualified punters carried ball-goers throughout night.
Tickets for La Serenissima ball cost £110 and guests were treated to lavish Italian food, chocolate fountains and continental cakes.
The canal was dismantled spilling gallons of water down Sidney Street.
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.
