Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

Just yards away from busy shopping streets, the college is sheltered from the hubbub by high stone walls. On the eastern side is the chapel with its oak paneling. Left unmarked in the ante-chapel is the final resting-place of Oliver Cromwell's head! Cromwell was originally enrolled at Sidney Sussex on 23 April 1616, the day William Shakespeare died. He went on to lead the Parliamentarians to victory in the English Civil War. Upon the restoration of the monarchy, Cromwell's corpse was exhumed and decapitated, the head put on display as a warning to traitors of the realm. The college has unpredictable opening hours.