Google images reveal Cambridge University college 'secrets'

People can now take a look inside the Old Library at St John's College which dates to the 1620s

Little-known corners of some of Cambridge University's colleges have been opened to the public to view online for the first time.

Google filmed inside five colleges as part of its Street View Special Collections project.

The master of Gonville and Caius said it would "allow anyone virtually to explore the previously hidden beauty of some of the finest architectural gems".

The images can be seen by using the "see inside" option in Google Maps.

The behind-the-scenes shots provide 360-degree views inside buildings including the Old Library at St John's College, which dates to the 1620s, and the part-14th Century chapel at Gonville and Caius, the oldest purpose-built college chapel still in use in Cambridge.

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St John's has also created a "scavenger hunt" inviting online viewers to spot items they have "hidden" within the photographs of the college.

The chapel at St John's College was built in the 1860s

These include a "life mask" of poet William Wordsworth, a student at the college from 1787, and a towel - a tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - who was at St John's in the early 1970s.

The book contains the advice, "never go anywhere without your towel", and fans celebrate Adams' life on 25 May every year by carrying towels.

In addition to the college interiors there are panoramic tours of Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Great St Mary's, the university church.

St John's College New Court was built in the 19th Century

Many of the included sites are not normally open to the general public.

Laurence Clemence, from Google UK, said: "Now, anyone with a desire to see the university at close range, can access it like never before."

University colleges and properties included

• Cambridge University Botanic Garden

• Gonville & Caius College

• Great St Mary's Church

• Newnham College

• Queens' College

• St John's College

• Trinity Hall