The Beautiful Bridges of Cambridge City
All art by Cambridge Purple
The ancient university city of Cambridge in the East Midlands, and home to some of England’s most beautiful and unique bridges. Many people walk or cycle along these bridges (half of all Cambridge residents ride a bicycle at least once a week!)
Hildersham Bridge (Cambridge Purple) sits in a nearby village. Funded by Mrs Elizabeth Goodwin Hemmington in 1886 to replace a ford (made impassable by floods), this was built on dry land, then they moved the river (?!)
Most of Cambridge’s bridges sit on the River Cam, which is over 120,000 years old, shaped into its present form by a flood 14,000 years ago. It’s home to unusual wildlife like elaborately coloured mandarin ducks and sea shags (like small green versions of cormorants).
A popular pastime on the River Cam is punting (flat-bottom boats that you steer with a pole, far less polluting than most forms of river transport). Apparently it’s quite tricky, so get lessons!
Let’s take a look at some of Cambridge’s most iconic bridges:
The Mathematical Bridge
The Mathematical Bridge at Queen’s College is an amazing piece of engineering. In that although it’s curved, it’s built from straight planks of wood!
The Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs is a covered stone bridge, known for its Victorian Gothic architecture. It’s located at St John’s College (the only one to have two bridges). Apparently it’s named after the prisoners on their way to court, who would sigh as they crossed it!
Clare Bridge
The is the oldest surviving bridge in Cambridge, built around 1640. It has a mystery attached, in that there is a sliced-off ball on one of the spheres. It’s now not believed that it was due to the mason being underpaid (this was an unfair myth, so it remains a mystery!)
Magdalene Bridge
This was built from stone in the 18th century, and was known for its May Day celebration, where crowds would gather to hear the choir sing from the tower, at sunrise. It’s the only bridge on the River Cam that allows for public transport.
King’s College Bridge
This built in 1819, and was one of the last places to have legal duels!
A Bit More on Cambridge University
Cambridge University (the second oldest on earth) is home to 31 colleges. The 33 acres of land at Jesus College alone, is home to muntjac deer, sparrowhawks and endangered water voles.
Past graduates of Cambridge University include:
- Sir David Attenborough
- A A Milne (who wrote Winnie-the-Pooh).
- Bill Oddie (comedian and expert on wild birds)
- Alan Turing (the Enigma codebreaker who saved millions of lives by shortening the Second World War)
