Just 60 miles north of London, Cambridge is located in the heart of the East of England, excellent road and rail links ensure the city is accessible from all parts of the U.K.

London Stansted Airport and the ferry port of Harwich are both within easy reach of Cambridge. Europe and the rest of the world isn’t far away either.

BY ROAD

From the South and from London, Cambridge is a short trip up the M11 motorway. From the north, the A1 and M1 link to the A14 dual carriageway straight to the city, and from the east and west, the A14 again takes you to Cambridge.
NEW SIGNS TO HELP YOU

In order to assist drivers visiting Cambridge, we have installed new traffic signs to give you updated information on Park and Ride services, car parking and traffic conditions in the city centre.

These signs are located on the city-bound approaches to each Park and Ride site.

As you drive further into Cambridge additional signs are located across the city centre. They indicate the direction to each car park and will tell you the number of spaces available, when they are full or if they are closed for any reason.

For short stay trips the City Centre Car Parks offer great convenience, but for longer visits there are 5 world class Park and Ride sites located on the outskirts of the City that provide free parking and a swift and frequent bus ride to the City Centre.

BY AIR

Cambridge is within easy reach of London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Birmingham International Airport.
London Stansted is the nearest international airport to Cambridge, located just 30 miles to the South of the city, with easy access by train, coach, or car (M11). EasyJet and Ryanair fly from Stansted.

BY COACH

National Express operates coach services to Cambridge from major towns and cities throughout the U.K.

There are frequent coach services from both Central London, and London Stansted Airport through to the city.

The X5 cross county Stagecoach service links Oxford to Cambridge, via Bicester, Buckingham, Milton Keynes and Bedford. (more…)

Cambridge has never been a heavy industry city. It started as a crossing place for the river now known as the Cam. This river was navigable all the way to Kings Lynn, on the Wash, and so Cambridge, surprisingly enough, was a port, with good trading links to the continent. There is still a lot of trade with mainland Europe through East Anglia, but this now happens along roads instead. Cambridge is surrounded by good quality farmland. It has always been the local trading place for the surrounding countryside. There is a thriving daily market which sells local fruit and veg as well as other goods, and a Farmers Market on Sundays.

Cambridgeshire people come to the city for other shopping and facilities as well, of course, and there are the usual debates between city and country about car parking and ease of access! Cambridge is the county town of Cambridgeshire, and both Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council are based in the city. One main shopping area is in the centre, spreading up Castle Hill and along St Andrews Street, including a shopping mall called Lion Yard (entrance Petty Curry). The other main shopping area is around Fitzroy St and Burleigh St, with another shopping mall, the Grafton Centre. There are small shops along Mill Road. There are plenty of bookshops (see below). Two famous shops in Cambridge are Arjuna (wholefood co-operative, excellent for spices) and Fitzbillies (yummy chelsea buns).

The unique factor of the Cambridge economy is the University of Cambridge, which has had an immense effect on the development of Cambridge throughout its history. There is the direct employment caused by the university. Apart from the specialised jobs within the university, the number of university students alone is about 18% of the non-student population, and all these students must eat (and drink!), and live somewhere, and have clean rooms, and be entertained.

Other businesses connected with the university include books. Cambridge University Press is the oldest printing and publishing house in the world. Heffers is Cambridge’s largest bookshop, but there are plenty more, for new and second hand books.

There are over three and a half tourists which visit Cambridge each year. Cambridge does not really encourage tourists, but since they do, they must be looked after.

The greatest spin-off has been Silicon Fen. Trinity College developed some of its land on the north-eastern border of Cambridge into the Science Park in 1970. St John’s College followed with their Innovation Centre in 1987. These provide business support and accommodation for early stage knowledge based companies. They may be started by people and knowledge from the University of Cambridge, but they don’t have to be. The concept has proved very successful, and it is known as the Cambridge Phenomena. It also has traffic jams!

Another employer in Cambridge is Marshall’s, a privately owned aerospace company.

It must not be forgotten that the University of Cambridge is not the only educational establishment in Cambridge. There is another university, APU, and other colleges and schools. There are numerous language schools to teach English. (more…)

Cambridge is 52 deg 12 North and 0 deg 07 East. This means that it is nearly on the Greenwich meridian. England has a temperate maritime climate, because of its distance from the equator and its closeness to the Atlantic Ocean. We are lucky to have the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current which starts from the Caribbean, and sweeps across the Atlantic and up the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland. It is interesting to compare Cambridge’s climate to those of other places on the same latitude (or distance from the equator). The following data comes from www.worldclimate.com. They are coloured according to whether they are on the eastern or western seaboard, or mid-continent, or southern hemisphere.

The Falkland Islands are in the Southern hemisphere, so their seasons are reversed. There are no other southern locations given, since Cambridge is further from the equator than anywhere in Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Temperature
This graph shows how the range of temperatures between summer and winter increase in the middle of continents. The smallest range of all is in the Falklands, which are islands. The east of continents seem to be colder than the west. There is a greater range of winter temperatures than summer ones. The Gulf Stream gives Western Europe warmer winters. Cambridge temperatures are half way between Ireland and the Netherlands, which is what you’d expect.

Rainfall

I have left out Ocean Falls from these rainfall graphs. If you look at the figures above, you will see why. If you’re visiting Ocean Falls, I suggest you take an umbrella!

Rainfall is more erratic than temperature, but the centre of continents seem to be drier than the edges. Cambridge is an exception to this. Its total rainfall is closer to Germany than Ireland or Netherlands, its neighbours. (more…)

Cambridge city centre is very dense and compact, and vehicle access is therefore quite restricted. Hardly anywhere is more than a 20 minute walk from the other side, so the best way by far to get around is by using your legs - walking or cycling.

There is a comprehensive network of cycle routes, some of which are shared bus/taxi lanes, others which are shared pavements with pedestrians, and many shortcuts around town which pedestrians and cyclists can use. There are also several bike-hire companies, the most distinctive of which are the bright red “Mike’s Bikes”. The centre itself is a pedestrian zone from 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday, and has a good number of bike racks.

Taxis and buses have reasonably good access to the town centre, and taxi ranks are located in several places across town. They are (by US standards) quite expensive - the 3 mile trip from Cambridge Station to my home just north of the river typically costs more than £7. The bus service is pretty good (unless you live here, when it seems designed to take you anywhere except where you want to go), as well as tour buses which go around town and out to the American Cemetery.

For the confirmed car driver there are several multistorey car parks in and around the city centre. The most central of these car parks, Lions Yard, has recently been demolished as part of a city centre redevelopment. A small amount of expensive on-road short-term parking is available - these are usually very busy and aggressively policed, so other methods of transport are recommended very strongly. The excellent Park and Ride service, with 4 large car parks, one at each of the cardinal points around the city is an ideal alternative. (more…)

Cambridge and County Folk Museum (1 Mile)*
Step inside the ancient White Horse Inn and drink in the past with the people of town and fen, college and market.
Fitzwilliam Museum (1 Mile)*
The Museum has a wide range of permanent exhibits and frequently changing exhibitions.
Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill (5 Miles)*
Anglesey Abbey estate is 96 acres of garden and parkland, a country house in the Jacobean style and an Eighteenth century watermill.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey (6 Miles)*
Discover farming through the ages and learn about the rural history of Cambridgeshire. Visit the English Heritage Grade 1 Abbey, still featuring superb Norman interiors.
Imperial War Museum Duxford (8 Miles)*
Duxford is a world-renowned heritage complex, over fifty working historic aircraft are based here. There is also a Land Warfare Hall and an American Air Museum.
Wimpole Hall, Garden and Park (8 Miles)*
Wimpole Hall, set in rolling parkland and woodland, is part of the 2,500 acre Wimpole Estate. The Hall is a magnificent country house, mainly eighteenth century in style.
Wimpole Home Farm (8 Miles)*
Wimpole Home Farm, part of the Wimpole Estate, is still a working farm and is East Anglia’s largest rare breeds centre.
Newmarket Racecourses (10 Miles)*
There is no place like Newmarket - it is the ancestral home of racing, where the racehorse reigns supreme and the Sport of Kings belongs to all.
Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve (10 Miles)*
Experience a unique fragment of the wilderness which once covered much of East Anglia, Wicken Fen is the oldest nature reserve in the country, celebrating its centenary in 1999.
Linton Zoo (10 Miles)*
There is a large collection of wildlife at Linton ranging from Mexican Red-Kneed tarantulas, axolotis and snakes through to giant tortoises, hornbills, toucans, parrots, beautiful snow leopards and magnificent Sumatran tigers.
National Horseracing Museum and Tours (12 Miles)*
The story of the people and horses involved in racing from its Royal origins to Lester Piggott, Frankie Dettori and other modern day heroes.
Hemingford Grey Manor (12 Miles)*
Most of the Norman house remains virtually intact in spite of various changes over nine centuries. The house and garden are the setting for the Green Knowe books, written by Lucy Boston.
Houghton Mill (13 Miles)*
An impressive 17th century water mill in working order on the River Ouse in the village of Houghton.
Raptor Foundation (13 Miles)*
The Raptor Foundation is a bird of prey sanctuary and hospital. It is a unique and exciting place for children and adults alike to meet and learn about owls, falcons, hawks and buzzards.
Ely Cathedral (14 Miles)*
The Cathedral was completed in 1189 and now stands as a remarkable example of Romanesque architecture

Roads

Because of its rapid growth since the 20th century, Cambridge has a congested road network. Several major roads intersect at Cambridge. The M11 motorway from east London terminates here. The A14 (formerly A604 and A45) east-west trunk route skirts the northern edge of the city. This is a major freight route connecting the port of Felixstowe on the east coast with the Midlands, North Wales, the west coast and Ireland. The A14 is considered by many local people to be dangerous, and unnecessarily congested.

This is particularly true of the section between Huntingdon and Cambridge where the east-west traffic is merged with the A1 to M11 north-south traffic on just a 2-lane dual carriageway. The A10, a former Roman road from north London, passes round the city on its way to Ely and King’s Lynn. Other roads connect the city with Bedford, St Neots, Newmarket and Colchester.

The city has a ring road about 2km in diameter, inside which there are traffic restrictions intended to improve conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and bus users and to reduce congestion. It has a well developed park and ride bus service encouraging motorists to park near the city’s edge.

Rail

Cambridge railway station was built in 1845 with a platform designed to take two full-length trains. Cambridge has direct rail links to King’s Cross (via Hitchin and the East Coast Main Line) and Liverpool Street (via the West Anglia Main Line) stations in London. It is also linked to Kings Lynn and Ely (via the Fen Line), Norwich (via the Breckland Line), Liverpool, Birmingham, Ipswich and as well as London Stansted Airport. The important UK rail hub of Peterborough is also within reach of Cambridge. The railway service connecting Cambridge and Oxford, known as the Varsity Line, was discontinued in 1968.

(more…)

Local government

Cambridge is a non-metropolitan district, with a city council. The city council’s headquarters are in the Guildhall, an imposing building in the market square.

Cambridge is also served by Cambridgeshire county council.

For electoral purposes the city is divided into the following wards: Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, Kings Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Queen Edith’s, Romsey, Trumpington, West Chesterton.

The political composition of the city wards of the county council after the May 2005 elections was :
10 Liberal Democrat seats
4 Labour seats
0 Conservative seats

The political composition of the city council after the June 2004 elections was:
28 Liberal Democrat councillors
13 Labour councillors
1 Conservative councillor

The Liberal Democrats have controlled the city council since 2000.

Cambridge is twinned with:
Heidelberg, Germany since 1957
Szeged, Hungary since 1987.

MPs

The parliamentary constituency of Cambridge covers most of the city. David Howarth (Liberal Democrat) was elected MP in 2005, winning the seat from the former MP, Anne Campbell (Labour). The Queen Edith’s and Trumpington wards, however, are in the South Cambridgeshire constituency, whose MP is Andrew Lansley (Conservative), first elected in 1997.

The University used to have a seat in the House of Commons, Sir Isaac Newton being one of the most notable holders. The university seats were abolished in 1948 and ceased at the dissolution of Parliament in 1950.

Settlements have existed around the area since before the Roman Empire. The earliest clear evidence of occupation, a collection of hunting weapons, is from the Late Bronze Age, starting around 1000 BC. There is further archaeological evidence through the Iron Age, a Belgic tribe having settled on Castle Hill in the 1st century BC.

The first major development of the area began with the Roman invasion of Britain in about AD 40. Castle Hill made Cambridge a useful place for a military outpost from which to defend the River Cam. It was also the crossing point for the Via Devana which linked Colchester in Essex with the garrisons at Lincoln and the north. This Roman settlement may have been called Durolipons.

The settlement remained a regional centre during the 350 years after the Roman occupation, until about AD 400. Roman roads and walled enclosures can still be seen in the area. After the Romans had left, Saxons took over the land on and around Castle Hill. Their grave goods have been found in the area. During Anglo-Saxon times Cambridge benefited from good trade links across the otherwise hard-to-travel fenlands. By the 7th century, however, visitors from nearby Ely reported that Cambridge had declined severely. Cambridge is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Grantebrycge. This is the earliest known reference to a bridge at Cambridge.

The arrival of the Vikings in Cambridge was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 875. Viking rule, the Danelaw, had been imposed by 878. The Vikings’ vigorous trading habits caused Cambridge to grow rapidly. During this period the centre of the town shifted from Castle Hill on the left bank of the river to the area now known as the Quayside on the right bank. After the end of the Viking period the Saxons enjoyed a brief return to power, building St. Benet’s church in 1025. It still stands in Bene’t Street.

Two years after his conquest of England, William of Normandy built a castle on Castle Hill. Like the rest of the new kingdom, Cambridge fell under the control of the King and his deputies. The distinctive Round Church dates from this period. By Norman times the name of the town had mutated to Grentabrige or Cantebrigge, while the river that flowed through it was called the Granta. Over time the name of the town changed to Cambridge, while the river Cam was still known as the Granta - indeed the river is still often known as the Granta to this day. It was only later that the river became known as the Cam, by analogy with the name Cambridge. The University uses a pseudo-Latin adjective cantabrigiensis (often contracted to “Cantab”) to mean “of Cambridge”, but this is obviously a back-formation from the English name.

Beginnings of the University

In 1209, students escaping from violence in Oxford fled to Cambridge and formed a University there. The oldest college which still exists, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284. One of the most impressive buildings in Cambridge, King’s College Chapel, was begun in 1446 by King Henry VI. The project was completed in 1515 during the reign of King Henry VIII. (more…)

The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. It lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns and villages. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen and is one of the major constituent parts of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

Cambridge is best known for the University of Cambridge, which includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, the King’s College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke’s Hospital in the far south of the city and St. John’s College Chapel tower in the north. The city’s name is pronounced “Came-bridge”, as opposed to another Cambridge in Gloucestershire, England, which is pronounced “Cam-bridge”: as it is spelt.

According to the 2001 census, the population was 108,863 (including 22,153 students). The university was founded in the 13th cent. Central Cambridge still maintains much of its medieval atmosphere and appearance. Its noted medieval churches include St. Benet’s or Bene’t’s, the oldest, dating from the late Saxon period; St. Edward’s (begun 12th cent.), where Hugh Latimer preached; St. Mary the Great (1478), the university church; and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of four Norman round churches in England.

Cambridge also has varied light industries. High-technology firms, drawing on the university’s scientific prominence, have multiplied in recent years, and the city has come to be called “Silicon Fen.”