Cambridge is renowned as one of England’s two great university towns, steeped in history and tradition. It has been described as one of the most beautiful cities in Britain. The city takes its name from the crossing of the River Cam. Here, at the meeting of dense forests to the south and marshy Fens to the north, was the lowest reliable fording place of the River Cam, or Granta. In the first century BC an Iron Age Belgic tribe built a settlement on what is now Castle Hill. In the first century AD, the Romans took over the site and it became the crossing point for the Via Devana which linked Colchester with the legions in Lincoln and beyond. The Saxons followed, then the Normans under William the Conqueror, who raised a castle on a steep mound as a base for fighting the Saxon rebel, Hereward the Wake, deep in the Fens at Ely. The motte of William’s castle still stands and Ely Cathedral is visible from the top on a clear day.
The first college, Peterhouse, was founded by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, in 1284. Clare, Pembroke, Gonville, Trinity Hall and Corpus Christi were established in the first half of the fourteenth century. Ten more colleges were founded during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, including Christ’s, King’s, Queens’, Jesus, St. John’s, Trinity, and Emmanuel. As well as the colleges, the university established fine buildings including the 14th century Old Schools, the 18th century Senate House and more modern buildings like the University Library and the Fitzwilliam Museum.
The colleges contain the great architectural treasures of Cambridge. Founded by kings, queens bishops, nobles, guilds and rich widows, they attracted powerful patrons and large endowments of land and money. Such wealth allowed the colleges to use the best architects, including Sir Christopher Wren, Powell and Moya - to create beautiful buildings that reflect perfectly 700 years of British architectural heritage. It is a heritage symbolised by the soaring windows and fan vaults of King’s College Chapel.
Today Cambridge is a thriving city of some 100, 000 people. Its commercial heart is surrounded by fine buildings and green open spaces. The Backs, the famous grass-covered banks of the River Cam, are carpeted with crocus and daffodils in Spring. This is the Cambridge of Brooke, Byron, Newton and Rutherford, of the summer idyll of punts, bumps’, cool willows, and May Balls. In Summer you can take a punt along the river and enjoy the architectural glories of the riverside colleges. At King’s College Chapel, the best known of all Cambridge buildings, you may be lucky enough to hear the world-famous choir. In Autumn and Winter there are fewer visitors and the City is less crowded, but the presence of the students adds to the special atmosphere.
Cambridge has a wealth of museums and galleries covering a wide range of interests. The Corn Exchange, Junction, Arts Theatre and other venues provide programmes covering all aspects of entertainment. The Cambridge Folk Festival is held on the last weekend in July. Cambridge has many good shops. As well as department and well-known chain stores, it has many local and specialist shops and is, of course, famous for its bookshops.
In the area surrounding Cambridge there are a large number of attractions and places of interest. Visit Constable Country or the beautiful wool towns of Suffolk. Ely Cathedral and Bury St Edmunds are popular, as are the stately homes of Audley End, Anglesey Abbey and Wimpole Hall. Newmarket, famous for racing, houses the National Horseracing Museum, and to the south of the City at Duxford is the Imperial War Museum. For those who enjoy the countryside there are bird reserves and natural fenland preservation areas such as Wicken Fen.