Attractions in Cambridge, UK

The Duxford Imperial War Museum

During World War I, the Duxford aerodrome was constructed. One of the first bases for the Royal Air Force was built there. When the Royal Flying Corps grew in 1917, Duxford was one of many new airfields built to provide pilot training for RFC members. In contrast to many comparable airfields in a smaller RAF, it was kept operational after the war. Before switching to being a fighter station in 1924, it was initially used as a training facility and thrived there for 37 years. Since it was so well-known by 1938, the No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford was the first squadron to receive the brand-new Supermarine Spitfire. The first Spitfire arrived at RAF Duxford in August of that year. In June 1940, Belgium, Holland, and France were occupied by German forces. The next objective for Germany was to annex Britain. The base at RAF Duxford was made fully functional. The Battle of Britain was the name given to the intense air battle that ensued. After that, the station helped defend British airspace. Its squadrons made two flights on September 15, 1940, also known as "Battle of Britain Day," to thwart Luftwaffe assaults on London. Then, test and trial units departed from the station. Prior to being transferred to the US Army Air Forces, this gave the Royal Air Force (RAF) important knowledge about how its new plane would perform in combat. In April 1943, the 78th Fighter Group arrived at RAF Duxford, which the Americans dubbed "Station 357" right away. Their main duty was to safeguard the sizable bomber fleets of the US Eighth Air Force as they conducted risky and expensive daytime raids on Germany. Every Thunderbolt in the 78th Fighter Group attacked targets behind the Normandy beachheads on D-Day, June 6, 1944, when the Allies launched their eagerly anticipated invasion of occupied Europe. Duxford was reactivated as an RAF station following World War II. Its last phase of operation officially started at that point. Now that it had jet fighters like the Gloster Meteor, Hawker Hunter, and Gloster Javelin, its pilots were prepared to shoot down Soviet bombers. However, Duxford's tenure as an RAF base was coming to an end because the defence needs that had originally made it a fighter station no longer existed. It was too far south and too far inland for the pricey modifications necessary for supersonic fighters to be justified. After the final flight from RAF Duxford took off in July 1961, the future of the airfield was uncertain for the following 15 years. In order to store, restore, and eventually display exhibits that were too big for its London headquarters, IWM was looking for a location. The use of the airfield for this objective was authorised. The nearly abandoned aerodrome was given new life by Cambridgeshire County Council, the Imperial War Museum, and the Duxford Aviation Society. The aviation history centre of Europe is now known as IWM Duxford. This museum stands out due to its historical location, first-rate exhibit collections, and frequent appearances by famous air shows.

Cambridge University Botanic Gardens

The Cambridge University Botanic Garden (CUBG) is home to more than 8,000 different plant species. This benefits both research and teaching. The Garden offers facilities, horticultural expertise, and plants to researchers and educators. The Garden, however, has also always been a lovely location where anyone can visit and take in the beauty and knowledge. It has several breathtaking landscapes where guests can discover the drama of plant diversity. The first botanic garden of Cambridge University was established in 1762 on what is now known as the New Museums Site in the middle of the city. It produced plants that served as teaching tools for medical students. When John Henslow accepted the University's Botany Chair in 1825, he was 29 years old. Rug Cleaner, At the time, botany was in a bad place. It had been 30 years since the last lecture, and the city's central Botanic Garden was in disrepair. Henslow's political savvy and perseverance helped him convince the University that the Botanic Garden needed to be moved to a bigger location in order for serious experimental botany to take root at Cambridge during the early 1800s as natural science studies began to flourish there. The extra acres would enable the study and cultivation of the fascinating new tree species that were being found in western North America at the time. Botanic gardens would no longer be thought of as just nurseries for drug plants used to instruct medical students. Henslow, on the other hand, thought that the plants themselves should be studied in this Garden. A 16-hectare parcel of land one mile south of the city centre was given to the University by Trinity Hall in 1831, but it wasn't immediately developed due to legal issues. However, planting did not start until 1846, and due to the higher cost, the University only paid for the western half of the land to be developed. Henslow and the first Garden Curator, Andrew Murray, worked together to create the garden. In Murray's plan, the Garden will be circled by a winding path. The path is divided along an east-west axis by The Main Walk, which is made up of imposing and stately coniferous trees. Outside the perimeter path, a belt of trees from the same family was planted. A complex network of herbaceous systematics beds could be found to the south of the Main Walk, and a U-shaped lake could be found to the north. The Grade II* heritage landscape that is present today is the result of this plan. The style of the design is known as "Gardenesque," and it combines individual plants and skilfully created landscapes.

Castle Hill in Cambridge

Castle Hill is a significant location in Cambridge history, despite the fact that there are no ruins there. Here once stood Duroliponte, an Iron Age hill fort that later developed into a Roman settlement. A panoramic view of the town's rooftops and the surroundings can be obtained by ascending the Castle Mound. If the sky is clear, you can see Ely Cathedral to the north. William I erected Cambridge Castle in 1068 to safeguard the region during Hereward the Wake's uprising. During the Anarchy, Matilda's forces attempted to take it by siege, but they were unsuccessful. Later, during the First Barons' War, French forces seized control of the castle. In the late 1300s, a sizable portion of the structure was rebuilt; however, it was not kept up with and quickly fell into disrepair. In the Bronze and Iron Ages, Castle Hill was inhabited; a later mediaeval fort was erected there. Ermine Street was built by the Roman army as a crucial route from London to the north after the Romans conquered Britain in 43 AD. Through western Cambridgeshire it moved. The military constructed a fort on Castle Hill in order to keep the region secure following the Boudica uprising in AD 60. The fort and Ermine Street were connected by Akeman Street. The military abandoned it after it was rebuilt in the 70s AD, and it was then transformed into Duroliponte, which flourished because it was close to a road and the River Cam. By the fourth century AD, German and Danish raiders were using the river to enter the town, and the Roman military was having trouble keeping up with them. There were walls made of limestone to guard the area. Early in the fifth century AD, the Angles seized control of Cambridgeshire after the Roman army dispersed. Before Mercia took control of the county at the end of the eighth century AD, it was inhabited by a number of different tribes. Up until the Viking commander Guthrum moved in and fortified Cambridge as a part of the Danelaw in 875, Cambridge was governed by the Mercians. However, Cambridgeshire was attacked and taken over by King Edward the Elder of Wessex in 905. By 921, Cambridge had developed into a fortified town (town). The River Cam was on the west side of the elliptical area that these defences surrounded, and they were made of an earth and wood rampart that was backed by a ditch. By the middle of the 10th century, Cambridge had expanded to become one of the biggest towns in Eastern England.

Cambridge's Central Mosque

The first mosque in Europe to be built with sustainability features is the Cambridge Central Mosque. Its goal is to serve the Muslim community in the UK and beyond by promoting best practises in religion, community development, social cohesion, and interfaith dialogue. The public could enter the Cambridge Central Mosque on April 24, 2019. According to architect Julia Barfield, a mosque doesn't have a set appearance. Wherever Muslims need a place to pray, including in Egypt, Andalusia, Turkey, Indonesia, and the Arabian Peninsula, the architecture reflects the regional style. In China, it might be a group of pavilions with roofs resembling pagodas, while in Sub-Saharan Africa, it might be made of mud bricks or rammed earth. It might have a flat roof supported by lots of columns, a single dome, several domes, or neither. It could be constructed from concrete, wood, or stone. Mosques first appeared in the UK in the late nineteenth century, when two were constructed: one in Woking, Surrey, and one in Liverpool, which was carved out of an existing terrace. The typical design of a British mosque, however, is unknown. The most common method, which is frequently motivated by the need to serve as many people as possible within constrained budgets, is to construct a plain box and then decorate it with symbols from the primary nation of origin of the congregations — Ottoman for Turks and Cypriots, Moghul for those from the subcontinent — or the source of the majority of funding.

All Saints Church

In the centre of Cambridge, directly across from the entrances to Jesus College, stands All Saints', a significant city landmark distinguished by its light-coloured stone spire. It is regarded as a masterpiece of Victorian art and architecture and was constructed in the 1860s based on plans created by renowned 19th-century architect G.F. Bodley. The interior is lavishly decorated, with an abundance of flowers covering the walls and nearly every surface painted, stencilled, or gilded. There are stained-glass windows with light-emitting panels created by renowned Arts and Crafts designers like Ford Madox Brown and William Morris. The building is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust and is accessible to the public every day. In the centre of Cambridge, directly across from the entrances to Jesus College, stands All Saints', a significant city landmark distinguished by its light-coloured stone spire. It is regarded as a masterpiece of Victorian art and architecture and was constructed in the 1860s based on plans created by renowned nineteenth-century architect G.F. Bodley. The wooden door hides a vivacious display of pattern and colour. Leading Arts and Crafts artists like Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, and William Morris created the stained-glass windows.

The Corpus Clock

The Corpus Clock has been hailed by locals and tourists alike as one of Cambridge's most distinctive public monuments since its unveiling in 2008. It is a one-of-a-kind timepiece that is both mesmerizingly stunning and horrifyingly unsettling. Dr. John C. Taylor OBE FREng created, created, and donated it to Corpus Christi College (m1959). In association with the nearby engineering company Huxley Bertram, the Clock was constructed. The Big Bang, the central impact that created the universe and may be regarded as the beginning of time, is referenced by the radiating ripples on the clock's pure gold-plated face. The Chronophage, or "time-eater," as it is also known, is an extraordinary monster on top of which the clock is perched. The Chronophage devours each minute as it passes with a snap of its jaws. It develops from a grasshopper, a term used by horologist John Harrison to describe his creation of a strictly functional escapement in the eighteenth century. Because the Corpus Clock lacks hands and digital numbers, it initially seems challenging to tell the time. A closer inspection reveals three rings of LEDs, the innermost of which shows the time in hours, minutes, and seconds. When the time comes, there are no bells to ring; instead, chains sway and a hammer thumps on a wooden coffin. The Latin inscription mundus transit et concupiscentia eius, which translates as "the world and its desires pass away," serves as an example of this statement. It is located beneath the clock. Joh. Sartor Monan Inv. MMVIII, which is translated as "Joh. Sartor Monan Inv. MMVIII," is also written on the pendulum in Latin. Monanensis is the name of the Isle of Man, Joh. is the name Johannes, Sartor is the mediaeval Latin term for "tailor," Inv. is the verb invenit, which can mean "discovered," "made," or "brought to fruition," and MMVIII is 2008. In 2008, John Taylor from the Isle of Man achieved this feat. The Natwest Bank, a structure created by architect Horace Francis in 1866 to house the London County Bank, was where The Clock now stands.

Market Square

Markets abound in Cambridge, and since the Middle Ages, traders have set up shop in the city's central market square. The stalls are open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and sell a variety of goods, including street food, books, vinyl, CDs, and DVDs. Such things include, for instance, clothing, jewellery, and bags. The nutrients in fruits, vegetables, and fresh fish are abundant. Sale of used bicycles and garden plants Mobile phones and their accessories have many more uses! Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the market square is home to a thriving local food, art, and craft market. The market's vendors offer items made by some of the region's most skilled painters, potters, sculptors, and photographers as well as organic produce grown by nearby farmers.

The Mathematical Bridge

James Essex the Younger built the bridge in 1749 after James Etheridge (1709–1766) designed it in 1748. (1722–84). It was fixed in 1866, and the same design was used when it was rebuilt in 1905. On the right side of the picture, you can see the riverside building, which dates back to around 1460 and is Cambridge's oldest riverside structure. It is currently a part of the President's Lodge. The plan is a modest engineering achievement from the middle of the 18th century. It was developed by James King, who died in 1744. The bridge spans a 50-foot river and is constructed of several smaller pieces of wood. For instance, the horizontal section that appears to cross the entire river is actually made of six shorter wood planks joined end to end. Each component of the structure, which is made of wood and resembles a voussoir arch bridge, is compressed by the weight of the entire thing: A voussoir bridge requires strong abutments to counteract the compressive forces at the arch's springing point in order to function. Wood is weakened when bent (think about how easy it is to break a match by bending it). In this bridge design, the side trusses' timbers don't need to bend much or at all: The side trusses' triangulation gives them strength without making them too heavy and prevents the joints connecting the segments of the arch from bending. Side winds don't harm the building as much because the sides aren't filled in. The walkway's substructure serves as the sole cross bracing. It was asserted that if a side truss required a replacement piece of wood, that piece could be taken out and replaced without having an impact on its nearby neighbours or necessitating the dismantling of the entire bridge. In the real world, this has never been tried.

Its Wren Library

One of Cambridge's most well-known and historically significant college libraries is the Wren Library. If you enjoy reading, historic structures, or both, you ought to go. Sir Christopher Wren, a renowned British architect and stonemason, created the library's design. It is one of many structures at Cambridge colleges that he created or had constructed. The chapel at Emmanuel College and the Wren (Kitchen) bridge at St. John's are two more of his Cambridge creations (although he did not build this). The most expensive and well-known books in Cambridge are kept in this library. Here are kept the first two folios of Shakespeare's works as well as the first edition of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica. A.A. Milne's original Winnie the Pooh artwork is also included.