Colette Sheridan enjoyed an interested-filled break in Cambridge
No sooner had we strolled to the riverside in Cambridge to watch the punts being gently propelled along the River Cam by young men, standing upright in their docksiders with pole in hand, than we were almost in a bidding war. The punting business in this picturesque university city is fiercely competitive with so-called bargains to be had the further you walk away from the main drag. It being a busy Friday afternoon with queues for the punts, we decided to hold out for a few days before boarding one of these elegant vessels. The 1.6km section of the Cam known as the ‘College Backs’ where you can see the backs of the various colleges, is one of England’s most lovely stretches of river.
This city, where I spent five days in early June with a friend who is living there, has something for all tastes. Literally. From the sticky Chelsea buns in the original café, Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street dating back to 1920, to King’s College Chapel – celebrated for its choral services including the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast live by the BBC across the globe on Christmas Eve – you can revel in the highbrow or just go shopping. Or eat cake. There is a daily market in the city, worth checking out.
Choral Evensong is sung in King’s College Chapel most days during term time as it is in many other college chapels. It’s free and open to everyone. The colleges were closed when we were touring the city. Steeped in history, not to mention an element of elitism, King’s College was one of King Henry V1’s ‘royal and religious’ foundations, the other being Eton College. Both colleges were to admit a maximum of seventy scholars drawn from impoverished backgrounds, the boys from Eton being guaranteed entry into King’s College.
Choral Evensong is sung in the magnificent King’s College Chapel most days during term time
King College Chapel
King’s College Chapel has exquisite stained glass windows which took over thirty years to install. The upper windows depict Old Testament scenes with the New Testament represented in the lower windows.
The early history of Cambridge University saw a breakaway group of scholars moving to Cambridge from Oxford. Eventually, this led to the foundation of Cambridge’s first college, Peter House in 1285. But the establishment of academia in what had previously been known as a quiet market town gave rise to tensions between ‘town and gown.’ This spilled over into riots and there is a record of sixteen townsmen being hanged while the scholars, under church protection, were pardoned by the king.
For more recent history, namely a snapshot of the history of art in the twentieth century, go to Kettle’s Yard. This conglomeration of small artisan cottages made into one spacious house was the home of Jim and Helen Ede from 1957 to 1973. It contains their diverse collection of art, ceramics, textiles, furniture and natural objects such as shiny stones and shimmering shells. The archive at Kettle’s Yard containing Jim Ede’s personal papers formed part of his gift to the University of Cambridge in 1966. The house, all white-washed interior walls, has been preserved virtually unchanged. It’s a work of art in its own right.
The Eagle on Bennet Street, one of Cambridge’s oldest inns, dating back to the 14th century. The Eagle was frequented by staff from the Cavendish Laboratory, located on nearby Free School Lane for 100 years from 1874-1974. These patrons included Francis Crick and James Watson. On February 28th, 1953, the two men walked into The Eagle and announced: ‘we have discovered the secret of life’. They were referring to their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA
Jim Ede described himself as a ‘friend of artists’ and much of his collection was acquired through these friendships. He wasn’t wealthy. I overheard a guide telling visitors to the house that when, as a boy, Jim Ede was given money by his father to buy a bicycle, he was berated when he spent the cash on a piece of original art instead. He was a true collector, keen-eyed and appreciative of everything from tasteful book covers to substantial sculptures. During the 1920s, when working at the Tate Gallery in London, Jim Ede’s business trips to Paris led to meetings with some of the key figures of the artistic avant-garde, including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Joan Miró. There is also a gallery at Kettle’s Yard with a café on the premises but these were closed when we visited the Ede’s house.
Fitzwilliam Museum
Another must-see is the free-to-enter (a rarity in this relatively expensive city) University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum. It houses world-class collections of art and antiquities spanning centuries and different civilisations. In his will, Richard Fitzwilliam (1745-1816) – the 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion – left his extensive collection of artworks and objects, along with his library and what was then an enormous sum of £100,000 to the University of Cambridge. This bequest funded the building of the museum named in his memory.
A significant part of Richard Fitzwilliam’s riches came from the wealth that his grandfather – Sir Matthew Decker (1679-1749) – amassed in part through the transatlantic trade of enslaved African people. Matthew Decker was a Dutch-born English merchant who helped to establish the South Sea Company in 1711. The South Sea Company obtained the monopoly to traffic African people to the colonial Spanish Americas and profited from slave-trading.
Another must-see is the free-to-enter (a rarity in this relatively expensive city) University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum
A sign in the museum states: “Part of our work today is focussing on ways to address this legacy. We at the Fitzwilliam Museum and other University of Cambridge museums acknowledge we still benefit from Atlantic enslavement in terms of our finances and collections and are making a commitment to reparative justice.”
After all the culture, we were in need of a restorative lunch and headed to The Eagle on Benett Street, one of Cambridge’s oldest inns, dating back to the 14th century. The Eagle was frequented by staff from the Cavendish Laboratory, located on nearby Free School Lane for 100 years from 1874-1974. These patrons included Francis Crick and James Watson. On February 28th, 1953, the two men walked into The Eagle and announced: “we have discovered the secret of life.” They were referring to their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. Throughout the years, the scholars dined together in this inn six days a week. (Rosalind Franklin also made a significant contribution to the DNA breakthrough).
Apart from the groundbreaking announcement, The Eagle is probably best known for its RAF bar. The ceiling is covered in the graffiti of British and American WW11 pilots who burned their names and squadron numbers onto it using cigarette lighters, candles and lipstick. The graffiti includes a naked woman drawn in lipstick.
The Eagle has a ghostly presence, apparently. A fire raged through the upstairs bedrooms of the premises a few hundred years ago and a young child, unable to open the window, was trapped inside and died. Ever since, the window has been kept open. On occasions when it has been closed, it has brought bad luck or has mysteriously opened itself. “We also have a gentleman sitting on table 4. Warning! If he doesn’t like you, he will spill your drink!” We should have checked out table 4! Unwittingly, we waited for ages to be served but went unnoticed and unattended to. So we left and had paninis and coffees at Indigo Coffee House on St Edward’s Passage. The staff were friendly and the fare was simple but tasty.
On Sunday, the sun shone and my energetic friend suggested that we take the (long) scenic walk to Grantchester, a village on the River Cam. Small but significant, Grantchester is said to have the world’s highest concentration of Nobel Prize winners, most of whom are current or retired academics from the University of Cambridge.
The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, immortalised in the poem of the same name by Rupert Brooke is now the home of writer Jeffrey Archer and his scientist wife Mary
The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, all pink roses tumbling down trellises in the front garden, is the home of Cambridge scientist, Mary Archer and her writer husband, Jeffrey Archer. Grantchester is the subject of ‘Grantchester Meadows’, a song by Pink Floyd. The village is also the setting for James Runcie’s sleuth novels, ‘The Grantchester Mysteries’ adapted as an ITV drama, filmed on location.
When we got to Grantchester, having walked along the river and through meadows – for over two hours – we sat out in deckchairs in the Orchard Tea Garden for coffees and cakes. This idyllic setting was enjoyed by literature’s 1900s Bloomsbury set and former village resident, the poet, Rupert Brooke. Asked whether she felt kindly towards Cambridge, Virginia Woolf said it was rather hectic. She spoke of ‘canoes; fellows’ gardens; wading in a slightly unreal beauty; dinners; teas; suppers; a sense on my part of extreme age and tenderness and regret, and so on and so on.’
I felt a bit wiped out from the long walk in the sun and decided we would get a taxi home which we caught in a village close to Grantchester. It had been a great day out.
The next day, Monday, we tried to bargain with the representative from Scudamores Punting (in existence since 1910.) I think we got a fiver off. It was £55 for the two of us, sharing the punt with another four people, for a forty-five minute ‘voyage.’ Pricey enough but great fun, great vistas and amusing anecdotes from the punter.
Getting there
You can fly from Dublin and Cork to Stanstead and then get a train to Cambridge – a journey of about 30 minutes or more depending on the servicer. It’s a real biking city, made easy as it lies on fairly flat land. Cambridge has the highest level of cycle use in the UK. It’s a city that has much to recommend it.
Cambridge is well served with hotels and B&Bs to suit all pockets. Check out the various hotel websites.
www.visitcambridge.org is a useful website
