Cambridge has more to offer besides a good education

You don't have to be studying at a world class university to appreciate the town of Cambridge, England. It offers stunning views and amazing architecture. I could wander the streets here for days.

By that I mean that there is ample to see, not that it would take you days to do so. In fact, Cambridge is very navigable on foot, the bulk of the highlights all within several blocks of each other. Parking, on the other hand, is another story.

In Oxford (another university town I will discuss in another post), we weren't lucky enough to find free parking, and forked out a small fortune to park while we spent a few hours sight-seeing. On the day we were in Cambridge, however, it was a bank holiday and street parking was free... if you could find it. Otherwise standard parking lots were available, at the standard expensive rates.

We managed to find parking along Queen's Road, across the green space that backed onto King's College. We walked through the parks of King's Back and Queen's Backs, then headed into town along Silver Street.

Silver Street crosses the river, where there are several punts for hire (gondola rides) and is also where you see the wooden mathematical bridge that crosses the river, joining the two parts of Queen's College. It was originally built in 1789 and was most recently rebuilt more than 100 years ago.

Eventually you'll arrive at Trumpington Street, where the bulk of our sightseeing took place.

Peterhouse was our first stop. Although this town is dense with concrete, it manages to hold its appeal with striking architecture and beautifully manicured courtyards. Where there is no courtyard, large potters can be found overflowing with flowers, even in early spring.

 

Our next stop was Corpus Christi, which I was really excited to see.  Exams were in progress, so we weren't allowed to go further than the courtyard, but I still loved every moment I got to stand there and be part of the atmosphere. You can feel the history surrounding you. It is neither the oldest, nor the biggest college that is part of Cambridge University, but it is the only one that was founded by the townspeople. Construction began in 1352, following the Black Plague .

We also stopped by the Corpus Clock at the corner of Trumpington and Bene't. It is a giant gold-plated clock with a creepy, giant grasshopper-type insect sitting on top. It is the Chronophage, or time-eater. It moves as the seconds tick by, eating time and making a disturbing sound. It was unveiled by physicist Stephen Hawking in 2008 and from my understanding, has mixed support amongst area residents.



We stopped for a cappuccino at the Caffe Nero in front of King's College, then headed over to the Cambridge University Press Shop. There has been a bookstore on the site since 1581.

Just up from the bookstore on Market St. was... you guessed it: a market. We spent some time in here watching the buskers perform, buying handmade soaps and sipping freshly squeezed juice.

We then looped around to King's College Chapel, behind King's College. This chapel is rich with history mounted on the walls, written in the stained glass, and marked on the tombstones in the floors beneath your feet.

You can learn the history behind the construction of the chapel (built by Henry VI after seeing Paris' St. Chapelle) as well as the royal genealogy, from the time of Edward III to Henry VIII.




Admission to King's College Chapel was our only expense of the day (£7.50 and free for kids under 12), as most colleges were closed to visitors during exams. Most of the colleges, when open, do charge an admission fee, and although I was interested to see the insides and particularly the libraries of some of the colleges, this turned out to be only a mild disappointment. There was so much to see around town from the outside that we hardly missed being able to go inside any of the buildings. It was perfect day for relaxing as we meandered through town, leisurely admiring the buildings we passed.

Our last stop of the day was at Christ College. Just like the rest of the town, the architecture and detailing that went into the college and grounds did not disappoint. It had a blended design that made it seem both academic and residential, with ivy climbing the walls and potted flowers on the window sills.


If you're looking for an inexpensive way to spend the day, this would be it. Over the course of the day we walked less than two kilometres - all on an easy, flat terrain - and spent almost nothing. Yet the kids and adults alike were kept interested and entertained the whole day, after seeing just a few of the colleges and commons this town has to offer.

A) Mathematical Bridge / Punts
B) Peterhouse
C) Corpus Christi
D) Corpus Christi Clock
E) University Press Book Shop
F) King's College Chapel
G) Christs College