Schmap Cambridge Fancy a Punt: Cambridge by Boat

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Cambridge - Fancy a Punt: Cambridge by Boat
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This tour begins on the Mill Pond by Laundress Green or Silver Street Bridge. Both self-hire and chauffeured punts can be found here at Scudamore's and at Cambridge Chauffeur Punts.

Three mills used to turn on the waters around the Mill Pond. The only one that remains is now the Bella Pasta restaurant! To the left of Silver Street Bridge is Darwin College (1964), once home to naturalist Charles Darwin's son before the family left it to the university. To the right of the bridge, the Anchor pub, where in the 50s and 60s the landlord encouraged student poets to display their lines. Among the young names, a Ted Hughes…

Pass under Silver Street Bridge to see before you Queens' College's Mathematical Bridge. The current model was built in 1904; an earlier version of the same design had appeared in 1749. It is said that the bridge was first constructed without nuts or bolts, the planks cleverly slotted together. When someone dismantled the bridge, they weren't able to rebuild it without resorting to fasteners. Queens' College's (1448) was founded by two queens – Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, and Elizabeth de Woodville, wife of Edward IV.

Try to follow the centre of the river when punting. When the old riverside towpaths were blocked, the middle of the river was gravelled and the barge horses waded through the water on this sub-aqua path. Following this route avoids the sticky mud around the riverbanks.

The next bridge heralds the approach of King's College (1441) on the right bank. The symmetrical grey building is the Gibbs' Building (1724) – both this and the university's Senate House were designed by James Gibbs. To its left, King's College Chapel, a monumental achievement by the many architects and builders who worked on it between 1446, when the foundation stone was laid, and 1554, when the high altar was put in place. Its interior is awe-inspiring – well worth a visit once you're back on dry land.

On the opposite bank, the meadow called Scholars' Piece. Until the 1800s, no buildings stood on this bank of the river. This area was quite literally the backs of the colleges. The name The Backs is still in use.

To the left of King's College Chapel is Old Court of Clare College (1326), the second oldest foundation in the university. Its founder, Lady Elizabeth of Clare, was widowed three times before her 30th birthday.

Clare Bridge (built around 1640) appears to droop in the middle. Look closely at the balls on the parapet: the one on the far left has a slice taken out. The story goes that a group of students had a bet on the number of stone balls on the bridge. One of them reduced the total by removing a slice, winning the bet.

On the left bank, Clare's Fellows' Garden is a peaceful sanctuary from university pretensions and academic hypotheses, with colourful flower-beds and a delightful sunken pond.

After Clare, the next college on the right is Trinity Hall (1350). Writer Henry James considered its garden “the prettiest corner of the world”. Trinity Hall has a reputation as a college for aspiring lawyers.

Pass under modern Garret Hostel Bridge to enter the grounds of Trinity College, richest of all Oxbridge colleges: it used to hold that Trinity was England's third largest landowner after the Crown and the Church and this may still be true. King Henry VIII founded the college in 1546. His descendent Prince Charles studied here, one of a long list of illustrious alumni, which includes Bertrand Russell, Francis Bacon, Nehru, Byron and Isaac Newton.

After passing beneath Trinity Bridge, the building on your right is the Wren Library. Designed by Christopher Wren (architect of St Paul's Cathedral in London) and built around 1695, its peach-honey Northamptonshire bricks glow when the sun is upon them, yet this is only the back entrance!

Already apparent on the left bank are the Gothic angles of St John's College's New Court, built in 1824. The building is better known by its nickname, the “wedding cake”.

Once under the Kitchen Bridge, you see the Bridge of Sighs, linking the two parts of St John's College. It is named after the famous Venetian bridge which led condemned prisoners to their execution, but these bars aren't to keep people in, rather to keep undergraduates from sneaking back into college after a late night's drinking. Built in 1831, one of the bridge's oddest days came one morning in 1957 when a Mini was found suspended by rope from its arch. Students had punted the car down the river and hoisted it up!

The river continues under Magdalene Street Bridge, a crossing point since Roman times, past the last of the riparian colleges, Magdalene (1542). Among its alumni, Charles Kingsley, author of The Water Babies: who knows if little orphaned children still inhabit the murky depths of the River Cam? There are certainly pike and water voles, so keep your eyes peeled.

The park on the right is Jesus Green. During the 16th-century Reformation, it witnessed clerics being burned at the stake. Mercifully, these times have now passed and, with further progress on the river blocked by Jesus Green Lock, the park provides an ideal spot to moor the punt, picnic and play before returning upstream to the Mill Pond.

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Anchor

Views over the River Cam

Silver Street
Cambridge CB3 9EL
United Kingdom
+44 1223 353554
http://www.cambridgeanchor.co.uk

Located on the River Cam, The Anchor boasts a suntrap terrace that is packed all summer, so arrive early and bag a table. Inside, the upper level is wooden and smoky, with the lower level sporting a trendy feel. The drinks choices and quality is excellent—three changing guest beers are available on tap. Traditional pub food includes sandwiches, jackets, potatoes, burgers and a variety of sides and salads, all at very inexpensive prices.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Neil Rickards

Backs

Riverside gardens Queens' Road
Cambridge CB3 9AH
United Kingdom
+44 1223 32 2640 The Backs provide superb views of King's College Chapel (King's College), the Wren Library (Trinity College) and New Court (St John's College), plus the Mathematical Bridge (Queens' College) and the Bridge of Sighs (St John's College). On the western bank of the river are flower gardens, clipped lawns and meadows. Water voles inhabit the ditches, rubbing shoulders with ducks and moorhens, the moorhen chicks making a tasty snack for a hungry pike. Hire a punt, or stroll along the gravel paths, pausing on the bridges to watch the boaters glide by.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Cambridge Chauffeur Punts

Tours along the Backs Opposite Queens' College Porter's Lodge
Silver Street Bridge
Cambridge CB3 9EL
United Kingdom
+44 1223 35 4164
http://www.punting-in-cambridg... What better way to enjoy the river than by lying back in a punt and letting a chauffeur take the strain? Cambridge Chauffeur Punts–talented chauffeurs–some of them students at the university–negotiate the hazards of the river (the meandering course, ducks and, most dangerous of all, amateur punters) while giving a commentary on the passing scenery. Itineraries can be devised to suit individual needs – day or night, for example, Grantchester or the Backs. Self-hire punts are also available.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Clare College

Second oldest Cambridge college Trinity Lane
Cambridge CB2 1TL
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 3200
http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/ Clare College is the second oldest of the Cambridge colleges, originally founded in 1326 as University Hall. Twelve years later, Lady Elizabeth of Clare refounded the college, which became Clare College in 1856, and a separate graduate college, Clare Hall, was founded in the 60s. Look for Lady Elizabeth's crest above the door to the small hall. The crest is edged with tears: she was widowed three times before her 30th birthday! The Fellows' Garden is open to visitors, one of the finest college gardens in Cambridge. Famous alumni include Hugh Latimer (Protestant reformer), James Watson, Siegfried Sassoon and Matthew Parris.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Darwin College

Views while you punt! Silver Street
Cambridge CB3 9EU
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 5660
http://www.dar.cam.ac.uk/ After World War II, it became apparent that there was a shortage of postgraduate places in Cambridge. Therefore in 1963, fellow colleges funded the establishment of Darwin College, located in a house belonging to a descendant of the naturalist Charles Darwin. The college is modern and has rooms backing on to the Mill Pond, the starting point of many a punting journey. The college has unpredictable opening hours.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Jesus Green

Park and open-air swimming pool Victoria Avenue
Cambridge CB5 8AL
United Kingdom
+44 1223 30 2579
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/le... Jesus Green is a popular riverside park, a short walk from the centre via the streets behind the Round Church or the Quayside boardwalk. When the sun is out, the grass fills up with groups and families; in the evenings drinkers at the Rat and Parrot pub spill out onto the grass. In July and August, the city council presents jazz sessions and comedy slots from a marquee on the green. Jesus Green open-air swimming pool, by the lock, is open M-Su from May to September.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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King's College

More than just a pretty chapel King's Parade
Cambridge CB2 1ST
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 1100
http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/ In a city rich in architectural diversity, King's College deserves the royal title. The screens and gatehouse, which separate the college from King's Parade are early Victorian. To the south is the dining hall, topped with lanterns, and to the west, the Gibbs Building (1732) that shares the same architect as the nearby Senate House. The path leads to The Backs, the riverside college lawns. Famous alumni include Rupert Brooke, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Salman Rushdie and Alan Turing. The college has unpredictable opening hours; call for details. Admission is GBP3 Adults, GBP2 concessions.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Laundress Green

Lazy riverside meadows Newnham Road
Cambridge CB3 9EY
United Kingdom
+44 1223 32 2640 Not too far from the city lies the Cambridgeshire countryside, which is located close to the city center at Laundress Green. As the name suggests, local washerwomen used to come here to use the city council washing lines. The green is particularly popular in summer when picnickers dot the grass and anglers line the riverbank. Across the footbridge, is The Mill pub and Scudamore's punt hire. The footpath leads south through cow-grazed meadows towards Grantchester Village.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Magdalene College

Home of the Pepys Library Magdalene Street
Cambridge CB3 0AG
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 2100
http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/ Henry VIII founded Magdalene College (pronounced "mawdlin") in 1542, usurping an older institution run by Benedictine monks. Until the 19th century, it was the only college on the far bank of the river. Visitors enter through the Porter's lodge into First Court, with the college chapel and dining hall (the latter still without electricity); beyond, in Second Court, is the Pepys Library. When Secretary of the Admiralty, Samuel Pepys, died in 1703 he left his former college hundreds of books, including his own diary of life in Restoration London. Famous alumni include C S Lewis, Samuel Pepys, Gavin Hastings and Charles Kingsley.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Queens' College

Home of the Mathematical Bridge and Stephen Fry Silver Street
Cambridge CB3 9ET
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 5511
http://www.quns.cam.ac.uk/ Queens' College (founded 1448) was founded by two queens: Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI's queen, and Elizabeth Woodville, Edward VI's queen. Enter from Queens' Lane, once one of the city's main medieval roads, into a 15th-century brick courtyard, even older than the neighbouring Cloister Court. Cloister Court though is a superb example of Tudor architecture, the cloisters supporting the wooden-beamed President's Lodge. Between the two courtyards, the dining hall has 19th-century tiling plus older murals. The college also contains the famous Mathematical Bridge, built in 1904 to the same specifications as the original 1749 model. That it was once standing without bolts is sadly a myth. Famous alumni include Erasmus and Stephen Fry. The college has unpredictable opening hours. Admission: From November to March free, otherwise £1.20

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Scudamore's Punts

Popular punt hire firm Granta Place
Mill Lane
Cambridge CB2 1RS
United Kingdom
+44 1223 35 9750
http://www.scudamores.com Scudamore's Punts is unique among the punting stations, in that it has boats ready and available on both the upper and lower rivers (the Granta and Cam, respectively). Following the river upstream takes you past meadows towards Grantchester Village, while moving on downstream are the famous Backs (The), the college lawns that straddle the river. Chauffeured punts are also available.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Senate House

Ceremonial centre of the University of Cambridge Senate House Hill
Cambridge CB2 1TS
United Kingdom
http://www.cam.ac.uk Stand in the paved area where Trinity Street meets King's Parade, and you are in the centre of Cambridge. Since the 18th century, all road distances from the city have been measured from the West Door of Great St Mary's, the university church. To the west is an immaculate lawn with the Old Schools (the university administration offices) and the baroque Senate House, completed in 1730. The Senate House is the ceremonial centre of the university: inside degrees are conferred and important decisions put to ballot. The Senate is the collective name for all those awarded an MA or higher. In practice, it never meets, and decisions are made by a group of senior scholars called the Regent House (but don't look for this, as it doesn't exist!).

Review © 2007, Wcities

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St John's College

Walk the Bridge of Sighs St John's Street
Cambridge CB2 1TP
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 8600
http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/ St John's College was founded in 1511 from the estate of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII. The exterior of the gatehouse on St John's Street is beautifully carved and painted. The artist had fun with the design: look for marguerite daisies (a pun on the founder's name), a fox disappearing into its burrow and a statue of St John the Evangelist. A series of courtyards leads to the river straddled by the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1831 and named after its Venetian inspiration. Famous alumni include William Wordsworth, William Wilberforce, Douglas Adams, Jonathan Miller and Derek Jacobi. Admission: Between Easter and early November, adults £2.20, under-16s/OAPs £1.30, families £4.40

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Trinity College

The wealthiest Cambridge college Trinity Street
Cambridge CB2 1TQ
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 8400
http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/ It is said that once one could walk from Cambridge to Oxford crossing only Trinity land. Start outside the gatehouse on Trinity Street: Henry VIII founded the college in 1546 by merging two existing ones. His statue stands proud; below him, the coat-of-arms of Edward III, founder of one of the earlier institutions, and below that, the shields of his sons. Look especially at the feathers of the Prince of Wales, still used by Prince Charles today, and a blank shield–Edward's youngest son died in infancy. To the right of the gatehouse, an apple descended from the tree which prompted Isaac Newton to make his theory of gravity.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Trinity Hall

Delightful views over the River Cam Trinity Lane
Cambridge CB2 1TJ
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 2500
http://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/ Not to be confused with Trinity College, Trinity Hall is almost 200 years older. Founded in 1350 by the Bishop of Norwich, the college was originally intended for the study of law. In the 1980s its alumni included the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury and Foreign Secretary. Henry James wrote in 1883, "If I were called upon to mention the prettiest corner of the world, I should draw a thoughtful sigh and point the way to the garden of Trinity Hall". The gardens, with their colourful flowerbeds, stretch all the way to the riverside. Famous alumni include Robert Runcie, Geoffrey Howe and J B Priestley.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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University of Cambridge

One of England's most ancient universities The Old Schools
Trinity Lane
Cambridge CB2 1TN
United Kingdom
+44 1223 33 7733
http://www.cam.ac.uk/ Most first-time visitors to Cambridge come with one aim: to see the university. But where is it? There is no sole university site, but rather the university's 31 colleges are scattered around the city. The university is said to date from 1209, when students fled riots in Oxford and settled in Cambridge. The oldest, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284; the newest, Robinson, in 1977. The colleges come in all shapes and sizes: from small postgraduate Clare Hall, built in the late 60s, to the grand Tudor expanse of Trinity. Every student is affiliated to a college, and each college is self-governing and financially independent. The university controls the faculties, subject departments, central administration (the Old Schools and the Senate House), museums, the printing press and the Botanic Garden.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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