Today, a day in Cambridge. We got out and caught a bus into town, not knowing how far out from the centre we were. Turned out to be a bit of an embarrassment, as it was such a short trip in that we could easily have walked it! Well, we know the story for tomorrow!!
We're pretty familiar with Cambridge, so our first port of call was to the Tourist Information Center, mainly to pick up a map to help us get around. We noticed in the streets the number of bikes — in this regard, Cambridge challenges the Netherlands. With a large student population and a flat terrain, along with severe parking problems, the bicycle is the preferred means of travel!
Just outside the Tourist Information Center, there is a coffee shop, so we relaxed with the usual morning-starter beverage. And next door there is an interesting shop — The Department of Magical Gifts. We went in to Potter around for a while! Must say the merchandise is very tempting!
Then we started a bit of a walking tour. First, we went down Bene't Street, past St Bene't's Church, whose Anglo-Saxon tower was "most probably" built between AD 1000–1050, making it the oldest building in Cambridge. The church is currently undergoing substantial renovation, to allow better access for people with limited mobility.
Opposite St Bene't's is an old pub, The Eagle, opened in 1667 as the "Eagle and Child". It was here that Francis Crick interrupted patrons on 28 February 1953 to announce that he and James Watson had discovered the structure of DNA.
Then, just on the corner of Bene't St with Trumpington St is the Corpus Clock. This work of art (for such it is) was conceived and funded by Dr. John C. Taylor, an alumnus of Corpus Christi College. It was officially unveiled to the public on 19 September 2008 by Stephen Hawking. The clock is only accurate once every 5 minutes. It is characterised by hesitations and catchings-up of the pendulum. The clock is purely mechanical, but its escapement is anything but hidden — the large insectoid "Chronophage" (time eater) that crawls across the top of the "dials" is actually the escapement, driving the clock under the impetus of the pendulum.
A little further down Trumpington St, we looked into Corpus Christi College, whose famed quadrangle is getting some in-depth treatment to install a new irrigation system. Oh well!!
And at 52 Trumpington St is a bakery, whose Chelsea buns have been an institution here since 1920! It has gone bankrupt twice in its history, the most recent in 2011, but supporters came to its rescue each time, and the famous Chelsea buns are more in demand than ever! Of course, we had to buy a couple for later consumption!
Further down Trumpington St we came to Peterhouse, the oldest college in Cambridge. Its dining hall, on the south side of its Old Court, is the only college building that survives from the 13th century.
Then we went down by the River Cam, to the main punting station. Traditional Thames pleasure punts were not introduced to Cambridge until about 1902–1904, but they rapidly became the most popular craft on the river, and today there are probably more punts on the Cam than on any other river in England.
Here, from the Silver Street Bridge, you get a good view of the Mathematical Bridge, originally designed by William Etheridge, and built by James Essex in 1749. It has been rebuilt in 1866 and again in 1905, to the same overall design. Although it appears to be an arch, it is actually a sophisticated design of straight timbers.
From here, we went on to the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, on Free School Lane, which houses an extensive collection of material related to the history of science. A fascinating collection!
Here are just two exhibits — a 14th century English astrolabe, and a Copernican armillary sphere made by Richard Glynne in about 1725.
We walked back up Trumpington Street and where it becomes King's Parade as it passes King's College. We decided not to go in this time — the day was starting to get a bit long, and we still have our memories from October 2014. So we walked a little further and came to Great St Mary's Church.
Great St Mary's Church, at the north end of King's Parade, is the university church for the University of Cambridge, and so on its facade you find the University Clock, and inside is the University Organ.
We walked up to Bridge St, where we found the Round Church (formally, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), built around 1130, one of the four medieval round churches still in use in England (although, in 1994, its congregation outgrew the premises and now meets in the nearby Church of St Andrew the Great).
On our way back to the drummer St Bus Station to catch our bus for the (short!!) trip back to the hotel, we passed the Tatties Cafe, and noticed an interesting little bridge behind it, across Sussex St — not quite a Bridge of Sighs, but it reminded us of it!
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