To the south of the street, along its entire length, is Pembroke College, hence the name.
In the 20th century, the architect W. D. Caröe added the Pitt Building between Ivy Court and the Alfred Waterhouse former Master's Lodge, and extended New Court with the construction of a new staircase on the other side of the Lodge. He linked the two buildings with an arched stone screen, Caröe Bridge, along Pembroke Street in a late Baroque style.
Botolph Lane runs parallel with Pembroke Street just to the north of it, between Free School Lane and Trumpington Street, to the south of Corpus Christi College.