Cambridge
City and district in Cambridgeshire, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
City and district in Cambridgeshire, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cambridge (/ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/ KAYM-brij)[5] is a city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, 55 miles (89 km) north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of the City of Cambridge was 145,700;[6] the population of the wider built-up area (which extends outside the city council area) was 181,137.[7] Cambridge became an important trading centre during the Roman and Viking ages, and there is archaeological evidence of settlement in the area as early as the Bronze Age. The first town charters were granted in the 12th century, although modern city status was not officially conferred until 1951.
Cambridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 52°12′18″N 00°07′21″E | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | England |
Region | East of England |
County | Cambridgeshire |
City region | Cambridgeshire and Peterborough |
Founded | c. 1209 as Granta Brygg |
City status | 1951 |
Administrative HQ | Cambridge Guildhall |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district |
• Body | Cambridge City Council |
• Executive | Leader and cabinet |
• Control | Labour |
• Leader | Mike Davey (L) |
• Mayor | Baiju Thittala |
• MPs | |
Area | |
• Total | 16 sq mi (41 km2) |
• Rank | 258th |
Population (2022)[3] | |
• Total | 146,995 |
• Rank | 151st |
• Density | 9,360/sq mi (3,612/km2) |
Demonym | Cantabrigian |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
Postcode areas | |
Dialling codes | 01223 |
GSS code | E07000008 |
Website | cambridge |
The city is well known as the home of the University of Cambridge, which was founded in 1209 and consistently ranks among the best universities in the world.[8][9] The buildings of the university include King's College Chapel, Cavendish Laboratory, and the Cambridge University Library, one of the largest legal deposit libraries in the world. The city's skyline is dominated by several college buildings, along with the spire of the Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church, and the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital. Anglia Ruskin University, which evolved from the Cambridge School of Art and the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, also has its main campus in the city.
Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology Silicon Fen or Cambridge Cluster, which contains industries such as software and bioscience and many start-up companies born out of the university. Over 40 per cent of the workforce have a higher education qualification, more than twice the national average. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus, one of the largest biomedical research clusters in the world, includes the headquarters of AstraZeneca and the relocated Royal Papworth Hospital.[10]
Cambridge produced the first 'Laws of the Game' for association football and was the site of first game, held at Parker's Piece. The Strawberry Fair music and arts festival and Midsummer Fair are held on Midsummer Common, and the annual Cambridge Beer Festival takes place on Jesus Green. The city is adjacent to the M11 and A14 roads.
Settlements have existed around the Cambridge area since prehistoric times. The earliest clear evidence of occupation is the remains of a 3,500-year-old farmstead discovered at the site of Fitzwilliam College.[11] Archaeological evidence of occupation through the Iron Age is a settlement on Castle Hill from the 1st century BC, perhaps relating to wider cultural changes occurring in southeastern Britain linked to the arrival of the Belgae.[12]
The principal Roman site is a small fort (castrum) Duroliponte on Castle Hill, just northwest of the city centre around the location of the earlier British village. The fort was bounded on two sides by the lines formed by the present Mount Pleasant, continuing across Huntingdon Road into Clare Street. The eastern side followed Magrath Avenue, with the southern side running near to Chesterton Lane and Kettle's Yard before turning northwest at Honey Hill.[13] It was constructed around AD 70 and converted to civilian use around 50 years later. Evidence of more widespread Roman settlement has been discovered, including numerous farmsteads[14] and a village in the Cambridge district of Newnham.[15]
Following the Roman withdrawal from Britain around 410, the location may have been abandoned by the Britons, although the site is usually identified as Cair Grauth,[16] as listed among the 28 cities of Britain in the History of the Britons attributed to Nennius.[18] Evidence exists that the invading Anglo-Saxons had begun occupying the area by the end of the century.[19] Their settlement – also on and around Castle Hill – became known as Grantebrycge[21] ("Granta-bridge". By Middle English, the settlement's name had changed to "Cambridg koe", deriving from the word 'Camboricum', meaning 'passage' or 'ford' of stream in a town or settlement,[22][23] and the lower stretches of the Granta changed their name to match.)[24]) Anglo-Saxon grave goods have been found in the area. During this period, Cambridge benefited from good trade links across the hard-to-travel fenlands. By the 7th century, the town was less significant and described by Bede as a "little ruined city" containing the burial site of Æthelthryth (Etheldreda).[20] Cambridge sat on the border between the East and Middle Anglian kingdoms, and the settlement slowly expanded on both sides of the river.[20]
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Vikings arrived in 875; they imposed Viking rule, the Danelaw, by 878.[25] Their vigorous trading habits resulted in rapid growth of the town. During this period, the town's centre shifted from Castle Hill on the left bank of the river to the area now known as the Quayside on the right bank.[25] After the Viking period, the Saxons enjoyed a return to power, building churches, such as St Bene't's Church, as well as wharves, merchant houses, and a mint which produced coins with the town's name abbreviated to "Grant".[25]
In 1068, two years after the Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror erected a castle on Castle Hill, the motte of which survives.[20] Like the rest of the newly conquered kingdom, Cambridge fell under the control of the King and his deputies.
Cambridge's first town charter was granted by Henry I between 1120 and 1131. It granted the town monopoly of waterborne traffic and hithe tolls and recognised the borough court.[26] The distinctive Round Church dates from this period.[27] In 1209, Cambridge University was founded by Oxford students fleeing from hostility.[28][29] The oldest existing college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284.[30]
Cambridge had a significant Jewish community in the middle ages, centred on what is now known as All Saints Passage, then known as the Jewry. A synagogue stood nearby. In January 1275, Eleanor of Provence expelled Jews from all of the towns within her dower lands, and the Jews of Cambridge were ordered to relocate to Norwich.[31]
In 1349, Cambridge was affected by the Black Death. Few records survive but 16 of 40 scholars at King's Hall died.[32] The town north of the river was severely impacted, being almost wiped out.[33] Following further depopulation after a second national epidemic in 1361, a letter from the Bishop of Ely suggested that two parishes in Cambridge be merged as there were not enough people to fill even one church.[32] With more than a third of English clergy dying in the Black Death, four new colleges were established at the university over the following years to train new clergymen, namely Gonville Hall, Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi, and Clare.[34]
In 1382, a revised town charter effected a "diminution of the liberties that the community had enjoyed", due to Cambridge's participation in the Peasants' Revolt. This charter transferred supervision of baking and brewing, weights and measures, and forestalling and regrating, from the town to the university.[26]
King's College Chapel was begun in 1446 by King Henry VI.[35] Built in phases by a succession of kings of England from 1446 to 1515 — its history intertwined with the Wars of the Roses — the chapel was completed during the reign of King Henry VIII.[35] The building would become synonymous with Cambridge, and currently is used in the logo for the Cambridge City Council.[36]
Following repeated outbreaks of pestilence throughout the 16th century,[37] sanitation and fresh water were brought to Cambridge by the construction of Hobson's Conduit in the early 1600s. Water was brought from Nine Wells, at the foot of the Gog Magog Hills to the southeast of Cambridge, into the centre of the town.[38]
Cambridge played a significant role in the early part of the English Civil War as it was the headquarters of the Eastern Counties Association, an organisation administering a regional East Anglian army, which became the mainstay of the Parliamentarian military effort before the formation of the New Model Army.[39] In 1643 control of the town was given by Parliament to Oliver Cromwell, who had been educated at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge.[40] The town's castle was fortified and garrisoned with troops and some bridges were destroyed to aid its defence. Although Royalist forces came within 2 miles (3 km) of the town in 1644, the defences were never used, and the garrison was stood down the following year.[39]
In the 19th century, in common with many other English towns, Cambridge expanded rapidly, due in part to increased life expectancy and improved agricultural production leading to increased trade in town markets.[41] The Inclosure Acts of 1801 and 1807 enabled the town to expand over surrounding open fields and in 1912 and again in 1935 its boundaries were extended to include Chesterton, Cherry Hinton, and Trumpington.[39]
The railway came to Cambridge in 1845 after initial resistance, with the opening of the Great Eastern Railway's London to Norwich line. The station was outside the town centre following pressure from the university to restrict travel by undergraduates.[42] With the arrival of the railway and associated employment came development of areas around the station, such as Romsey Town.[43] The rail link to London stimulated heavier industries, such as the production of brick, cement and malt.[41]
From the 1930s to the 1980s, the size of the city was increased by several large council estates.[44] The biggest impact has been on the area north of the river, which are now the estates of East Chesterton, King's Hedges, and Arbury where Archbishop Rowan Williams lived and worked as an assistant priest in the early 1980s.[45]
During World War II, Cambridge was an important centre for defence of the east coast. The town became a military centre, with an R.A.F. training centre and the regional headquarters for Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire established during the conflict.[39] The town itself escaped relatively lightly from German bombing raids, which were mainly targeted at the railway. 29 people were killed and no historic buildings were damaged. In 1944, a secret meeting of military leaders held in Trinity College laid the foundation for the allied invasion of Europe.[41] During the war Cambridge served as an evacuation centre for over 7,000 people from London, as well as for parts of the University of London.[39]
Cambridge was granted its city charter in 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance and economic success.[39] Cambridge does not have a cathedral, traditionally a prerequisite for city status, instead falling within the Church of England Diocese of Ely. In 1962, Cambridge's first shopping arcade, Bradwell's Court, opened on Drummer Street, though this was demolished in 2006.[46] Other shopping arcades followed at Lion Yard, which housed a relocated Central Library for the city, and the Grafton Centre which replaced Victorian housing stock which had fallen into disrepair in the Kite area of the city. This latter project was controversial at the time.[47]
The city gained its second university in 1992 when Anglia Polytechnic became Anglia Polytechnic University. Renamed Anglia Ruskin University in 2005, the institution has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art opened in 1858 by John Ruskin.
Cambridge is a non-metropolitan district – one of six districts within the county of Cambridgeshire – and is administered by Cambridge City Council. The district covers most of the city's urban area, although some suburbs extend into the surrounding South Cambridgeshire district. The city council's headquarters are in the Guildhall, a large building in the market square. Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor,[48] although the first recorded mayor, Harvey FitzEustace, served in 1213.[49] City councillors now elect a mayor annually.
For electoral purposes the city is divided into 14 wards: Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Queen Edith's, Romsey, Trumpington, and West Chesterton. At the 2019 election, Labour retained its majority.[50]
Each of the 14 wards also elects councillors to Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for services including school education, social care and highways.[51]
Since 2017, Cambridge has also been within the area of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority,[52] which is led by a directly elected Mayor. The city is represented on the authority by the leader of the City Council.
The parliamentary constituency of Cambridge covers most of the city; Daniel Zeichner (Labour) has represented the seat since the 2015 general election. The seat was generally held by the Conservatives until it was won by Labour in 1992, then taken by the Liberal Democrats in 2005 and 2010, before returning to Labour in 2015. A southern area of the city, Queen Edith's ward,[53] falls within the South Cambridgeshire constituency, whose MP is Pippa Heylings (Lib Dems), first elected in 2024.
The University of Cambridge formerly had two seats in the House of Commons; Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most notable MPs. The Cambridge University constituency was abolished under 1948 legislation, and ceased at the dissolution of Parliament for the 1950 general election, along with the other university constituencies.
Cambridge is situated about 55 miles (89 km) north-by-east of London and 95 miles (153 kilometres) east of Birmingham. The city is located in an area of level and relatively low-lying terrain just south of the Fens, which varies between 6 and 24 metres (20 and 79 ft) above sea level.[54] The town was thus historically surrounded by low-lying wetlands that have been drained as the town has expanded.[55]
The underlying geology of Cambridge consists of gault clay and Chalk Marl, known locally as Cambridge Greensand,[56] partly overlaid by terrace gravel.[55] A layer of phosphatic nodules (coprolites) under the marl was mined in the 19th century for fertiliser; this became a major industry in the county, and its profits yielded buildings such as the Corn Exchange, Fulbourn Hospital, and St. John's Chapel until the Quarries Act 1894 and competition from America ended production.[56]
The River Cam flows through the city from the village of Grantchester, to the southwest. It is bordered by water meadows within the city such as Sheep's Green as well as residential development.[55] Like most cities, modern-day Cambridge has many suburbs and areas of high-density housing. The city centre of Cambridge is mostly commercial, historic buildings, and large green areas such as Jesus Green, Parker's Piece and Midsummer Common. Some of the roads in the centre are pedestrianised.
Population growth has seen new housing developments in the 21st century, with estates such as the CB1[57] and Accordia schemes near the station,[58] and developments such as Great Kneighton, formally known as Clay Farm,[59] and Trumpington Meadows[60] currently under construction in the south of the city. Other major developments currently being constructed in the city are Darwin Green (formerly NIAB), and University-led developments at West Cambridge and North West Cambridge, (Eddington).
The entire city centre, as well as parts of Chesterton, Petersfield, West Cambridge, Newnham, and Abbey, are covered by an Air Quality Management Area, implemented to counter high levels of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere.[61]
The city has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).[62] Cambridge has an official weather observing station, at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, about one mile (1.6 km) south of the city centre. In addition, the Digital Technology Group of the university's Department of Computer Science and Technology[63] maintains a weather station on the West Cambridge site, displaying current weather conditions online via web browsers or an app, and also an archive dating back to 1995.[64]
The city, like most of the UK, has a maritime climate highly influenced by the Gulf Stream. Located in the driest region of Britain,[65][66] Cambridge's rainfall averages around 570 mm (22.44 in) per year, around half the national average.[67] The driest recent year was in 2011 with 380.4 mm (14.98 in)[68] of rain at the Botanic Garden and 347.2 mm (13.67 in) at the NIAB site.[69] This is just below the semi-arid precipitation threshold for the area, which is 350 mm of annual precipitation.[70] Conversely, 2012 was the wettest year on record, with 812.7 mm (32.00 in) reported.[71] Snowfall accumulations are usually small, in part because of Cambridge's low elevation, and low precipitation tendency during transitional snow events.
Owing to its low-lying, inland, and easterly position within the British Isles, summer temperatures tend to be somewhat higher than areas further west, and often rival or even exceed those recorded in the London area. Cambridge also often records the annual highest national temperature in any given year – 30.2 °C (86.4 °F) in July 2008 at NIAB[72] and 30.1 °C (86.2 °F) in August 2007 at the Botanic Garden[73] are two recent examples. Other years include 1876, 1887, 1888, 1892, 1897, 1899 and 1900.[74] The absolute maximum stands at 39.9 °C (103.8 °F) recorded on 19 July 2022 at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.[75] Before this date, Cambridge held the record for the all-time maximum temperature in the UK, after recording 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) on 25 July 2019. Typically the temperature will reach 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or higher on over 25 days of the year over the 1981–2010 period,[76] with the annual warmest day averaging 31.5 °C (88.7 °F)[77] over the same period.
The absolute minimum temperature recorded at the Botanic Garden site was −17.2 °C (1.0 °F), recorded in February 1947,[78] although a minimum of −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) was recorded at the now defunct observatory site in December 1879.[79] More recently the temperature fell to −15.3 °C (4.5 °F) on 11 February 2012,[80] −12.2 °C (10.0 °F) on 22 January 2013[81] and −10.9 °C (12.4 °F)[82] on 20 December 2010. The average frequency of air frosts ranges from 42.8 days at the NIAB site,[83] to 48.3 days at the Botanic Garden[84] per year over the 1981–2010 period. Typically the coldest night of the year at the Botanic Garden will fall to −8.0 °C (17.6 °F).[85] Such minimum temperatures and frost averages are typical for inland areas across much of southern and central England.
Sunshine averages around 1,500 hours a year or around 35% of possible, a level typical of most locations in inland central England.
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record high °C (°F) | 15.7 (60.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
23.9 (75.0) |
27.9 (82.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
39.9 (103.8) |
36.9 (98.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
39.9 (103.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.0 (64.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.9 (73.2) |
19.9 (67.8) |
15.3 (59.5) |
10.9 (51.6) |
8.1 (46.6) |
15.1 (59.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
5.2 (41.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
12.8 (55.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
11.4 (52.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) |
1.7 (35.1) |
3.1 (37.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
7.4 (45.3) |
4.2 (39.6) |
1.9 (35.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −16.1 (3.0) |
−17.2 (1.0) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−17.2 (1.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 47.2 (1.86) |
35.9 (1.41) |
32.2 (1.27) |
36.2 (1.43) |
43.9 (1.73) |
52.3 (2.06) |
53.2 (2.09) |
57.6 (2.27) |
49.3 (1.94) |
56.5 (2.22) |
54.4 (2.14) |
49.8 (1.96) |
568.4 (22.38) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.7 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 107.3 |
Source: ECA&D[86] |
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record high °C (°F) | 15.4 (59.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
29.5 (85.1) |
33.5 (92.3) |
39.9 (103.8) |
36.1 (97.0) |
32.0 (89.6) |
29.3 (84.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
39.9 (103.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
14.1 (57.4) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.4 (68.7) |
23.1 (73.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
19.6 (67.3) |
15.1 (59.2) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
7.0 (44.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.4 (59.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
5.1 (41.2) |
10.7 (51.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.1 (37.6) |
4.6 (40.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
12.6 (54.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.9 (46.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
2.2 (36.0) |
6.7 (44.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −16.0 (3.2) |
−15.3 (4.5) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
0.0 (32.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48.6 (1.91) |
35.7 (1.41) |
32.9 (1.30) |
37.6 (1.48) |
43.2 (1.70) |
49.1 (1.93) |
48.3 (1.90) |
55.9 (2.20) |
47.6 (1.87) |
58.7 (2.31) |
52.6 (2.07) |
49.2 (1.94) |
559.4 (22.02) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.4 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 107.2 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 57.2 | 77.8 | 118.4 | 157.2 | 182.7 | 182.5 | 190.0 | 181.3 | 144.0 | 110.3 | 67.6 | 53.7 | 1,522.7 |
Source 1: Met Office[87] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[88][89] |
The city contains three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), at Cherry Hinton East Pit, Cherry Hinton West Pit, and Travellers Pit,[90] and ten Local Nature Reserves (LNRs): Sheep's Green and Coe Fen, Coldham's Common, Stourbridge Common, Nine Wells, Byron's Pool, West Pit, Paradise, Barnwell West, Barnwell East, and Logan's Meadow.[91]
Cambridge is completely enclosed by green belt as a part of a wider environmental and planning policy first defined in 1965 and formalised in 1992.[92][93] While some small tracts of green belt exist on the fringes of the city's boundary, much of the protection is in the surrounding South Cambridgeshire[94] and nearby East Cambridgeshire[95] districts, helping to maintain local green space, prevent further urban sprawl and unplanned expansion of the city, as well as protecting smaller outlying villages from further convergence with each other as well as the city.[96]
At the 2011 census, the population of the Cambridge contiguous built-up area (urban area) was 158,434,[97] while that of the City Council area was 123,867.[98]
In the 2001 Census held during University term, 89.44% of Cambridge residents identified themselves as white, compared with a national average of 92.12%.[99] Within the university, 84% of undergraduates and 80% of post-graduates identified as white (including overseas students).[100]
Cambridge has a much higher than average proportion of people in the highest paid professional, managerial or administrative jobs (32.6% vs. 23.5%)[101] and a much lower than average proportion of manual workers (27.6% vs. 40.2%).[101] In addition, 41.2% have a higher-level qualification (e.g. degree, Higher National Diploma, Master's or PhD), much higher than the national average proportion (19.7%).[102]
Centre for Cities identified Cambridge as the UK's most unequal city in 2017 and 2018. Residents' income was the least evenly distributed of 57 British cities measured, with its top 6% earners accounting for 19% of its total income and the bottom 20% for only 2%, and a Gini coefficient of 0.460 in 2018.[103][104]