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Places to Visit in Cambridge

The information presented on the Cambridge pages is based on the Cambridge City Centre Street Map and Guide

CAMBRIDGE & COUNTY FOLK MUSEUM, 2/3 Castle Street.
Tel: 355159. This museum of social history is housed in a sixteenth century building close to the River Cam, which for 300 years was the White Horse Inn. The collection includes domestic and agricultural implements, and reflects life in Cambridgeshire and the city since 1650. There are also various temporary exhibitions. Open Monday to Saturday 10.30am-5pm, Sunday 2pm-5pm. Closed on Mondays from October to March. Admission charge.

CAMBRIDGE DARKROOM GALLERY, Dales Brewery, Gwydir Street. Tel: 566725. Exhibitions of work by local, national and international contemporary photographers. Open Tuesday to Sunday 12noon-5pm. Admission free.

CAMBRIDGE MUSEUM OF TECHNOLOGY, The Old Pumping Station, Cheddars Lane, off Riverside. Tel: 368650.
This preserved Victorian Pumping Station and working museum displays steam engines, gas engines, boilers and pumps. There is also a working printroom, and a collection of local artefacts. The museum is open (non-steaming) every Sunday from Easter to November, and first Sunday in month only from November to Easter, 2pm-5pm. The pumping engines are `in steam' on Bank Holidays and a few other weekends between 11am-5pm. Admission charge. Refreshments and souvenirs available.

FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM, Trumpington Street. Tel: 332900. The Lower Galleries include displays of Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Near and Far Eastern antiquities, Oriental and Western manuscripts, textiles, ceramics, glass, fans, armour, medals and other applied arts. The Upper Galleries include displays of paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, furniture and maiolica. Works by Hogarth, Blake and Constable can be seen in the British collection. Guided tours are available on Sundays at 2.30pm, a small fee is charged. Disabled visitors are welcome, but are advised to telephone in advance since access is difficult. There is also a Museum Shop and Coffee Bar. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sundays 2.15pm-5pm. Galleries may have to be closed in exceptional circumstances. Closed Mondays except Easter Monday, and the Spring and Summer Bank Holidays. Closed Good Friday and December 24 to January 1 inclusive.

KETTLE'S YARD GALLERY, Castle Street (A2). Tel: 352124. A collection of twentieth century art and natural objects of beauty are displayed in a domestic setting created by art lover Jim Ede. There are also changing exhibitions of modern arts and crafts. Opening times: House: Tuesday to Sunday 2pm-4pm. Gallery: Tuesday to Saturday 12.30pm-5.30pm, Sunday 2pm-5.30pm.

MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, New Museum Site, Downing Street (B4, C4). Tel: 336650. Displays of animal life including impressive whale skeletons. Opening times: Monday-Friday 2.15pm-4.45pm. Closed Christmas, Easter and Bank Holidays. Admission free.

ROUND CHURCH VISITOR CENTRE, The Round Church, Bridge Street.
Tel: 311602. Discover Cambridge and learn about the people who have shaped its history going back over two millennia. Watch a film, ‘Saints & Scholars’ and gain an insight into one of the oldest universities in the world. Find out about ‘The impact of Christianity in England’ at the year round exhibition. Open 10am-1.30pm Monday to Saturday, 1pm-4pm Sunday. www.roundchurchcambridge.org

SCOTT POLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Lensfield Road.
Tel: 336540. Named after the British explorer, Captain Scott, who died in 1912 following his successful attempt to reach the South Pole. The museum has exhibits of Arctic and Antarctic exploration including letters which were found with Scott and his party. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 2.30pm-4pm. Admission free.

SEDGWICK MUSEUM OF GEOLOGY, Downing Street (C4). Tel: 333456. Named after Adam Sedgwick, a nineteenth century Professor of Geology at Cambridge. The Museum boasts one of the world's finest fossil collections, a mineral collection and dinosaur skeletons. Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, Saturday 10am-1pm. Admission free.

UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY, Downing Street (C4). Tel: 333516. An exhibition covering world prehistory from the origins of man to the rise of civilisation. Part of the collection is devoted to local discoveries, especially Anglo-Saxon items, from Cambridge and East Anglia. Another permanent exhibition illustrates cultures from around the world. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 2pm-4.30pm. Admission free.

UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, Sidgwick Avenue (A4). Tel: 335153. Displays of Greek and Roman artefacts, including replicas of the Parthenon Frieze and the Delphi Charioteer. Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-5pm. Closed over Christmas and Easter. Admission free.

WHIPPLE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE, Free School Lane (B4). Tel: 330906. A exhibition of scientific instruments designed to show how they have contributed to scientific discoveries throughout history. Opening times: Monday-Friday 1.30pm-4.30pm.

CHURCHES OF SPECIAL INTEREST:

Great St. Mary's, Market Hill (B3). The University Church. For a small fee you can climb the tower and enjoy wonderful views of the city.

Little St. Mary's, Trumpington Street (B4). Before its rebuilding in the fourteenth century this Church was known as St. Peter's. It remained the college chapel for Peterhouse until 1632, and is still connected to it by a covered gallery.

The Round Church (Holy Sepulchre), Bridge Street (B2). The unusual circular nave is Norman, dating from c.1130, and is inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

St. Bene't's Church, Bene't Street (B4). The Saxon Tower dates from c.1000-1050 making it the oldest building in Cambridge.

THE `BACKS' AND THE BRIDGES:

The `Backs' describes a picturesque stretch along the River Cam which flows North past several colleges; Darwin, Queens', King's, Clare, Trinity Hall, Trinity, St. John's and Magdalene. Several famous bridges span this stretch of water. The original Mathematical Bridge (A4), was built in 1749 by James Essex to connect the old and new parts of Queens' College. It was based on a Chinese design whereby the bridge was held together not with nails but by geometric principles. The bridge has been rebuilt twice, with nails, most recently in 1904. After King's Bridge (A4), comes the elegant Clare Bridge (A3), built in 1638 it is the oldest bridge across the Cam. Beyond Garret Hostel (A3), Trinity (A3), and the Kitchen Bridge (B2), is the Bridge of Sighs (B2), built in 1831, and perhaps as well known as the original in Venice.

OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST:

Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Cory Lodge, Bateman Street (C6, D6). Tel: 336265. Forty acres of beautiful gardens, including a scented garden and picnic area. Also hosts special events with a horticultural theme. Open daily at 10am, closing times vary between 4pm and 6pm depending on the season.

Cambridge University Library, continue along Burrell's Walk (A3), is one of Britain's five Copyright Libraries and has one of the most comprehensive collections of books and manuscripts in the world. The building was specially designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and has contained the collection since 1934.

Cambridge University Press Bookshop, Trinity Street (B3). Books have been sold from this site since 1581. CUP have been based here since 1992. There is an exhibition about CUP, the oldest printer and publisher in the world.

The Castle Mound (A1), is all that is left of the motte and bailey castle built here in 1068 by the Normans. The castle was William the Conqueror's military base against the fierce Saxon resistance in the fens, led by Hereward the Wake. The stone castle which Edward I built on the same site was demolished in 1842.

The Cockerell Building (B3), was built between 1837-42 to house the University Library, which it did until 1934.

Hobson's Conduit (C5), stands on Trumpington Street as a memorial to Thomas Hobson, a University carrier who provided clean water to the city.

Old Addenbrooke's Hospital Site, Trumpington Road (C5). Opened in 1766, the hospital closed in the early 1980s. The buildings now belong to the University.

The Old Schools (B3). Built about 1350 to provide central lecture rooms for the scholars and students, whose hostels and halls were scattered all over the city.

Senate-House (B3). Built between 1722 and 1730 to provide the University with an administrative centre and a venue for degree ceremonies. At the end of each academic year examination results are posted on boards outside.