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A1Tourism.com: More History Than You Can Shake A Stick At! It’s The City Of Cambridge Of Course
A1Tourism.com: More History Than You Can Shake A Stick At! It’s The City Of Cambridge Of Course
When one thinks of Cambridge it is usually the famous University and its “rivalry” with Oxford that comes to mind, but in truth this great English city is steeped in more history than the entire works of William Shakespeare!
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire,
United Kingdom
(prbd.net)
05/02/2011
When one thinks of Cambridge it is usually the famous University and its “rivalry” with Oxford that comes to mind, but in truth this great English city is steeped in more history than the entire works of William Shakespeare!
In fact there’s a real sense of living history everywhere you look. And that’s just in the University Library that houses a colossal 7 million books. But there is also Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Christopher Wren, Oliver Cromwell, Stephen Hawking, Pink Floyd and Sylvia Plath, to name but a few of the famous names associated with this small city 50 miles north-east of London.
So, for the visitor to Cambridge, where do you begin?
The University is the obvious answer, and it’s easy to see why because its 31 colleges dominate the centre with atmospheric cobbled courts, chapels, gardens and bridges. According to the official tourist website Visit Cambridge the city has “profoundly shaped the world we live in” and on further examination it would be hard for anyone to disagree. But that is principally down to the famous education establishment founded in 1209 when students feeling from hostility in Oxford arrived in Cambridge and formed their own university. The oldest college still in existence is Peterhouse, built in 1284.
Next to that you can add the finest surviving medieval court of Corpus Christi and, in complete contrast, its new addition – The Grasshopper Clock, hailed as an “extraordinary feat of new technology” when installed just two years ago. Designed by inventor and former Cambridge engineering student John C. Taylor, the “terrifying” public sculpture was created in honour of renowned 18th century clockmaker John Harrison and is based on the “grasshopper escapement” that he discovered and utilised in his time pieces. Taylor calls his modern grasshopper the “Chronophage,” which literally means “time-eater” in Greek, and was constructed by 200 scientists, engineers, jewellers, calligraphers and sculptors at a cost of 1 million over five years. It is entirely mechanical, is 24-carat gold and only uses electricity to run a small motor. Physicist Stephen Hawking unveiled the curio in 2008 which has since been described as “hypnotically beautiful and deeply disturbing.” The time is only accurate once every 5 minutes – but this is deliberate to reflect “life’s irregularities,” as Taylor once put it.
And yes, time moves on, so back to the history and what Cambridge has to offer...
How about the Cambridge University Press Bookshop located on the oldest bookshop site in England where books have been sold since 1581? Or the architecturally stunning Round Church, the city’s second oldest building? Then there’s the Great St. Mary’s with its 1608 tower providing visitors with spectacular panoramic views of the city; Little St. Mary’s Church and its memorial to former vicar of the parish Godfrey Washington whose family crest of stars and stripes was adopted in the design of the American national flag; the famous Mathematical Bridge of Queens’ College; and the skull of the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell that is buried in the ante-chapel at Sidney Sussex College where he studied in 1616.
As well as this, there’s the 19th century Cavendish Laboratory where world changing discoveries have been made such as the Neutron, Electron and even DNA, and at Trinity College you will find the rooms where Sir Isaac Newton stayed in when a student in the 17th century, as well as a library designed by Sir Christopher Wren which is thought to be his finest work outside London. Incidentally, his first completed work (1665) can also be viewed at Pembroke College. And if you want really old there’s St. Bene’t’s Church, the most ancient in Cambridgeshire...or if you want expensive, then maybe the multi-million pound Robinson College built in 1977 with a donation of 17 million from local resident David Robinson will take your breath away?
But hold on, what about the females. Don’t they play a part in the history of Cambridge? Well, yes they do, all be it a little later on in time! Nevertheless, over at Lucy Cavendish College there’s Britain’s first ever college for mature women founded in 1965 by the campaigner for women’s education Lady Lucy Cavendish, and at Murray Edwards College (the all-women’s college established in the 1950s) there’s some of the city’s most acclaimed modern architecture. On the art and literature front, there’s Newnham College that was once frequented by actress Emma Thompson and poet-author Sylvia Plath.
So there you have it, a feast of historical interest for any discerning visitor which can all be enjoyed at its best from the river Cam upon which one can relax on a 45-minute punting tour...and for those who want a bit of thrill, they can add a ghost tour of the waters as well as the city to get the pulses racing!
Cambridge is a city of music and drama with classical, jazz, and pop festivals and events happening all year round. And when you add the range of museums, arts, music, restaurants, and quaint alleyways and markets to explore it is easy to see why Cambridge is one of Britain’s must-see cities. There is Strawberry Fair with its World music, ethnic food stalls and fun fair, as well as the popular Cambridge Folk Festival weekend, and Shakespeare Festival in the summer.
There’s a hotel for every budget, friendly and welcoming guest houses and perfect bed & breakfast establishments, as well as self-catering accommodation, and camping and touring facilities aplenty in and around the city...and to top it all, if you are still feeling smitten with intellectual fervour, you can even stay in one of 13 of the University College accommodation rooms!
For after all, as Stephen Hawking once said, “My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is, and why it exists at all.” The same could be said of anyone visiting Cambridge for the first time to marvel at the city that profoundly shaped the world. You can find places to stay in Cambridge at http://www.a1tourism.com/uk/cambridge.html
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For after all, as Stephen Hawking once said, “My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is, and why it exists at all.” The same could be said of anyone visiting Cambridge for the first time to marvel at the city that profoundly shaped the world. You can find places to stay in Cambridge at http://www.a1tourism.com/uk/cambridge.html
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