Cambridge

Settlements have existed around the Cambridge area since prehistoric times. The earliest clear evidence of occupation is the remains of a 3,500-year-old farmstead discovered at the site of Fitzwilliam College.[7] Archaeological evidence of occupation through the Iron Age is a settlement on Castle Hill from the 1st century BC, perhaps relating to wider cultural changes occurring in southeastern Britain linked to the arrival of the Belgae.[8]

The principal Roman site is a small fort (castrum) Duroliponte on Castle Hill, just northwest of the city centre around the location of the earlier British village. The fort was bounded on two sides by the lines formed by the present Mount Pleasant, continuing across Huntingdon Road into Clare Street. The eastern side followed Magrath Avenue, with the southern side running near to Chesterton Lane and Kettle's Yard before turning northwest at Honey Hill.[9] It was constructed around AD 70 and converted to civilian use around 50 years later. Evidence of more widespread Roman settlement has been discovered including numerous farmsteads[10] and a village in the Cambridge district of Newnham.[11] A Roman coffin for Etheldreda was found next to the Roman town, and taken back by river for her burial in Ely. (Bede)

Following the Roman withdrawal from Britain around 410, the location may have been abandoned by the Britons, although the site is usually identified as Cair Grauth,[12] as listed among the 28 cities of Britain in the History of the Britons attributed to Nennius.[13][15] Evidence exists that the invading Anglo-Saxons had begun occupying the area by the end of the century.[16] Their settlement – also on and around Castle Hill – became known as Grantebrycge.[18] ("Granta-bridge"). (By Middle English, the settlement's name had changed to "Cambridge", deriving from the word 'Camboricum', meaning 'Passage' or 'ford' of stream in a town or settlement,[19][20] and the lower stretches of the Granta changed their name to match.[21]) Anglo-Saxon grave goods have been found in the area. During this period, Cambridge benefited from good trade links across the hard-to-travel fenlands. By the 7th century, the town was less significant and described by Bede as a "little ruined city" containing the burial site of Æthelthryth (Etheldreda).[17] Cambridge was on the border between the East and Middle Anglian kingdoms and the settlement slowly expanded on both sides of the river.[17]

The arrival of the Vikings was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 875. Viking rule, the Danelaw, had been imposed by 878[22] Their vigorous trading habits caused the town to grow rapidly. During this period the centre of the town shifted from Castle Hill on the left bank of the river to the area now known as the Quayside on the right bank.[22] After the Viking period, the Saxons enjoyed a return to power, building churches such as St Bene't's Church, wharves, merchant houses and a mint, which produced coins with the town's name abbreviated to "Grant".[22]

In 1068, two years after the Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror built a castle on Castle Hill, the motte of which survives.[17] Like the rest of the newly conquered kingdom, Cambridge fell under the control of the King and his deputies.

The first town charter was granted by Henry I between 1120 and 1131. It gave Cambridge monopoly of waterborne traffic and hithe tolls and recognised the borough court.[23] The distinctive Round Church dates from this period.[24] In 1209, Cambridge University was founded by Oxford students fleeing from hostility.[25][26] The oldest existing college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284.[27]

In 1349 Cambridge was affected by the Black Death. Few records survive but 16 of 40 scholars at King's Hall died.[28] The town north of the river was severely affected being almost wiped out.[29] Following further depopulation after a second national epidemic in 1361, a letter from the Bishop of Ely suggested that two parishes in Cambridge be merged as there were not enough people to fill even one church.[28] With more than a third of English clergy dying in the Black Death, four new colleges were established at the university over the following years to train new clergymen, namely Gonville Hall, Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi and Clare.[30]

In 1382 a revised town charter effects a "diminution of the liberties that the community had enjoyed", due to Cambridge's participation in the Peasants' Revolt. The charter transfers supervision of baking and brewing, weights and measures, and forestalling and regrating, from the town to the university.[23]

King's College Chapel, was begun in 1446 by King Henry VI.[31] The chapel was built in phases by a succession of kings of England from 1446 to 1515, its history intertwined with the Wars of the Roses, and completed during the reign of King Henry VIII.[31] The building would become synonymous with Cambridge, and currently is used in the logo for the Cambridge City Council.[32]

• 
  Trinity Street in 2008: Trinity College is on the left, with St John's College in the background
• 
  St Bene't's Church, the oldest standing building in Cambridgeshire, is next to Corpus Christi College[33]
• 
  Peterhouse was the first college to be founded in the University of Cambridge
• 
  The President's Lodge, Queens' College

Cambridge in 1575

Following repeated outbreaks of pestilence throughout the 16th century,[34] sanitation and fresh water were brought to Cambridge by the construction of Hobson's Conduit in the early 1600s. Water was brought from Nine Wells, at the foot of the Gog Magog Hills to the southeast of Cambridge, into the centre of the town.[35]

Cambridge played a significant role in the early part of the English Civil War as it was the headquarters of the Eastern Counties Association, an organisation administering a regional East Anglian army, which became the mainstay of the Parliamentarian military effort before the formation of the New Model Army.[36] In 1643 control of the town was given by Parliament to Oliver Cromwell, who had been educated at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge.[37] The town's castle was fortified and garrisoned with troops and some bridges were destroyed to aid its defence. Although Royalist forces came within 2 miles (3 km) of the town in 1644, the defences were never used, and the garrison was stood down the following year.[36]

In the 19th century, in common with many other English towns, Cambridge expanded rapidly, due in part to increased life expectancy and improved agricultural production leading to increased trade in town markets.[38] The Inclosure Acts of 1801 and 1807 enabled the town to expand over surrounding open fields and in 1912 and again in 1935 its boundaries were extended to include Chesterton, Cherry Hinton, and Trumpington.[36]

The railway came to Cambridge in 1845 after initial resistance, with the opening of the Great Eastern Railway's London to Norwich line. The station was outside the town centre following pressure from the university to restrict travel by undergraduates.[39] With the arrival of the railway and associated employment came development of areas around the station, such as Romsey Town.[40] The rail link to London stimulated heavier industries, such as the production of brick, cement and malt.[38]

From the 1930s to the 1980s, the size of the city was increased by several large council estates.[41] The biggest impact has been on the area north of the river, which are now the estates of East Chesterton, King's Hedges, and Arbury where Archbishop Rowan Williams lived and worked as an assistant priest in the early 1980s.[42]

During the Second World War, Cambridge was an important centre for defence of the east coast. The town became a military centre, with an R.A.F. training centre and the regional headquarters for Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire established during the conflict.[36] The town itself escaped relatively lightly from German bombing raids, which were mainly targeted at the railway. 29 people were killed and no historic buildings were damaged. In 1944, a secret meeting of military leaders held in Trinity College laid the foundation for the allied invasion of Europe.[38] During the war Cambridge served as an evacuation centre for over 7,000 people from London, as well as for parts of the University of London.[36]

Cambridge was granted its city charter in 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance and economic success.[36] Cambridge does not have a cathedral, traditionally a prerequisite for city status, instead falling within the Church of England Diocese of Ely. In 1962 Cambridge's first shopping arcade, Bradwell's Court, opened on Drummer Street, though this was demolished in 2006.[43] Other shopping arcades followed at Lion Yard, which housed a relocated Central Library for the city, and the Grafton Centre which replaced Victorian housing stock which had fallen into disrepair in the Kite area of the city. This latter project was controversial at the time.[44]

The city gained its second University in 1992 when Anglia Polytechnic became Anglia Polytechnic University. Renamed Anglia Ruskin University in 2005, the institution has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art opened in 1858 by John Ruskin. The Open University also has a presence in the city, with an office operating on Hills Road.[45]

Map showing the 2010 electoral boundaries of the city, with postcode districts superimposed

Cambridge is a non-metropolitan district – one of six districts within the county of Cambridgeshire – and is administered by Cambridge City Council. The district covers most of the city's urban area, although some suburbs extend into the surrounding South Cambridgeshire district. The city council's headquarters are in the Guildhall, a large building in the market square. Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor,[46] although the first recorded mayor, Harvey FitzEustace, served in 1213.[47] City councillors now elect a mayor annually.

For electoral purposes the city is divided into 14 wards: Abbey, Arbury, Castle, Cherry Hinton, Coleridge, East Chesterton, King's Hedges, Market, Newnham, Petersfield, Queen Edith's, Romsey, Trumpington, and West Chesterton. At the 2019 election, Labour retained its majority.[48]

Each of the 14 wards also elects councillors to Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for services including school education, social care and highways.[49]

Since 2017, Cambridge has also been within the area of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority,[50] which is led by a directly elected Mayor. The city is represented on the authority by the leader of the City Council.

The parliamentary constituency of Cambridge covers most of the city; Daniel Zeichner (Labour) has represented the seat since the 2015 general election. The seat was generally held by the Conservatives until it was won by Labour in 1992, then taken by the Liberal Democrats in 2005 and 2010, before returning to Labour in 2015. A southern area of the city, Queen Edith's ward,[51] falls within the South Cambridgeshire constituency, whose MP is Anthony Browne (Conservative), first elected in 2019.

The University of Cambridge formerly had two seats in the House of Commons; Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most notable MPs. The Cambridge University constituency was abolished under 1948 legislation, and ceased at the dissolution of Parliament for the 1950 general election, along with the other university constituencies.

The city has an oceanic climate. (Köppen: Cfb).[60] Cambridge has an official weather observing station, at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, about one mile (1.6 km) south of the city centre. In addition, the Digital Technology Group of the university's Department of Computer Science and Technology[61] maintains a weather station on the West Cambridge site, displaying current weather conditions online via web browsers or an app, and also an archive dating back to 1995.[62]

The city, like most of the UK, has a maritime climate highly influenced by the Gulf Stream. Located in the driest region of Britain,[63][64] Cambridge's rainfall averages around 570 mm (22.44 in) per year, around half the national average,[65] The driest recent year was in 2011 with 380.4 mm (14.98 in)[66] of rain at the Botanic Garden and 347.2 mm (13.67 in) at the NIAB site.[67] This is just below the semi-arid precipitation threshold for the area, which is 350mm of annual precipitation.[68] Conversely, 2012 was the wettest year on record, with 812.7 mm (32.00 in) reported.[69] Snowfall accumulations are usually small, in part because of Cambridge's low elevation, and low precipitation tendency during transitional snow events.

Owing to its low-lying, inland, and easterly position within the British Isles, summer temperatures tend to be somewhat higher than areas further west, and often rival or even exceed those recorded in the London area. Cambridge also often records the annual highest national temperature in any given year – 30.2 °C (86.4 °F) in July 2008 at NIAB[70] and 30.1 °C (86.2 °F) in August 2007 at the Botanic Garden[71] are two recent examples. Other years include 1876, 1887, 1888, 1892, 1897, 1899 and 1900.[72] The absolute maximum stands at 39.9 °C (103.8 °F) recorded on 19 July 2022 at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.[73] Before this date, Cambridge held the record for the all-time maximum temperature in the UK, after recording 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) on 25 July 2019. Typically the temperature will reach 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or higher on over 25 days of the year over the 1981–2010 period,[74] with the annual warmest day averaging 31.5 °C (88.7 °F)[75] over the same period.

The absolute minimum temperature recorded at the Botanic Garden site was −17.2 °C (1.0 °F), recorded in February 1947,[76] although a minimum of −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) was recorded at the now defunct observatory site in December 1879.[77] More recently the temperature fell to −15.3 °C (4.5 °F) on 11 February 2012,[78] −12.2 °C (10.0 °F) on 22 January 2013[79] and −10.9 °C (12.4 °F)[80] on 20 December 2010. The average frequency of air frosts ranges from 42.8 days at the NIAB site,[81] to 48.3 days at the Botanic Garden[82] per year over the 1981–2010 period. Typically the coldest night of the year at the Botanic Garden will fall to −8.0 °C (17.6 °F).[83] Such minimum temperatures and frost averages are typical for inland areas across much of southern and central England.

Sunshine averages around 1,500 hours a year or around 35% of possible, a level typical of most locations in inland central England.

The city contains three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), at Cherry Hinton East Pit, Cherry Hinton West Pit, and Travellers Pit,[85] and ten Local Nature Reserves (LNRs): Sheep's Green and Coe Fen, Coldham's Common, Stourbridge Common, Nine Wells, Byron's Pool, West Pit, Paradise, Barnwell West, Barnwell East, and Logan's Meadow.[86]

Cambridge is completely enclosed by green belt as a part of a wider environmental and planning policy first defined in 1965 and formalised in 1992.[87][88] While some small tracts of green belt exist on the fringes of the city's boundary, much of the protection is in the surrounding South Cambridgeshire[89] and nearby East Cambridgeshire[90] districts, helping to maintain local green space, prevent further urban sprawl and unplanned expansion of the city, as well as protecting smaller outlying villages from further convergence with each other as well as the city.[91]

Local census 1749[100] Census: Regional District 1801–1901[101] Civil Parish 1911–1961[102] District 1971–2011[103]

Due to its rapid growth in the 20th century, Cambridge has a congested road network.[120] The M11 motorway from east London terminates to the north-west of the city where it joins the A14, a major freight route which connects the port of Felixstowe on the east coast with the Midlands. The A428 connects the city with the A1 at St Neots: the route continues westwards towards Oxford (as the A421) via Bedford and Milton Keynes. The A10 connects the city to King's Lynn to the north via Ely and is the historic route south to the City of London.

As a university town lying on fairly flat ground and with traffic congestion, Cambridge has the highest level of cycle use in the UK.[121] According to the 2001 census, 25% of residents travelled to work by bicycle. Furthermore, a survey in 2013 found that 47% of residents travel by bike at least once a week.[122]

Cambridge has five Park and Ride sites, all of which operate seven days a week and are aimed at encouraging motorists to park near the city's edge.[123] Since 2011, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway has carried bus services into the centre of Cambridge from St Ives, Huntingdon and other towns and villages along the routes, operated by Stagecoach in the Fens and Whippet.[124] The A service continues on to the railway station and Addenbrookes, before terminating at a new Park and Ride in Trumpington. Since 2017, it has also linked to Cambridge North railway station.

Although Cambridge has its own airport, Cambridge City Airport, it has no scheduled services and is used mainly by charter and training flights[125] and by Marshall Aerospace for aircraft maintenance. London Stansted Airport, about 30 miles (48 km) south via the M11 or direct rail, offers a broad range of international destinations.

In February 2020, consultations opened for a transport system known as the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro. It would have connected the historic city centre and the existing busway route with the mainline railway stations, Cambridge Science Park, and Haverhill.[126] In May 2021 the newly elected mayor said he was focused instead on a "revamped bus network" but would not yet abandon the work done.

Cambridge railway station

Cambridge railway station was opened in 1845, initially linking to Bishopsgate station in London, via Bishops Stortford.[127] Further lines opened throughout the 19th century, including the Cambridge and St Ives branch line, the Stour Valley Railway, the Cambridge to Mildenhall railway, and the Varsity Line to Oxford. Another station was opened in Cherry Hinton though, at the time, this was a separate village to Cambridge. Several of these lines were closed during the 1960s.

Today, Cambridge station has direct rail links to London with termini at London King's Cross (via the Cambridge Line and the East Coast Main Line), Liverpool Street (on the West Anglia Main Line) and St Pancras (on the Thameslink line). Commuter trains to King's Cross run every half-hour during peak hours, with a journey time of 53 minutes.[128] Trains also run to King's Lynn and Ely (via the Fen Line), Norwich (via the Breckland Line), Leicester, Birmingham, Peterborough, Stevenage, Ipswich, Stansted Airport, Brighton and Gatwick Airport railway stations.

A second railway station, Cambridge North, opened on 21 May 2017, having originally planned to open in March 2015.[129][130][131] A third railway station, Cambridge South, near Addenbrooke's Hospital, has been proposed;[132] it is expected to open in 2025.[133]

Parker's Piece, where the Cambridge Rules were first played

Cambridge played a unique role in the invention of modern football: the game's first set of rules were drawn up by members of the university in 1848. The Cambridge Rules were first played on Parker's Piece and had a 'defining influence on the 1863 Football Association rules' which again were first played on Parker's Piece.[143]

The city is home to Cambridge United FC, who play at the Abbey Stadium. Formed in 1912, as Abbey United, they were elected to the Football League in 1970 and reached the Football League Second Division in 1978, although a serious decline in them in the mid-1980s saw them drop back down to the Football League Fourth Division and almost go out of business. Success returned to the club in the early 1990s when they won two successive promotions and reached the FA Cup quarter finals in both of those seasons and, in 1992, they came close to becoming the first English team to win three successive Football League promotions which would have taken them into the newly created FA Premier League; however, they were beaten in the play-offs and another decline set in. In 2005, they were relegated from the Football League and, for the second time in 20 years, narrowly avoided going out of business. After nine years of non-league football, they returned to the Football League in 2014 by winning the Conference National play-offs.

Cambridge United WFC is a women's only football club based in Cambridge. The team compete in the FA Women's National League South East. The club play home games at St Neots Town F.C. and the Abbey Stadium.

Cambridge City FC of the Southern Football League Premier Division now play in the adjoining village of Histon. Formed in Cambridge in 1908, as Cambridge Town, the club were Southern Premier League champions in 1962–63, the highest they have finished in the English football pyramid. After a legal dispute with their landlords,[144] the club left their home ground in Cambridge in order to groundshare with fellow Southern League Premier club Histon FC in 2013-14 and intend to construct a new ground outside the city, in Sawston.

Parker's Piece was used for first-class cricket matches from 1817 to 1864.[145] The University of Cambridge's cricket ground, Fenner's, is located in the city and is one of the home grounds for minor counties team Cambridgeshire CCC.[146] The Cambridgeshire Cricket Association operates an amateur club cricket league with six adult divisions, including numerous clubs in the city, plus junior divisions.[147] Most of the university colleges also operate their own teams, and there are several casual village cricket teams that play in the city suburbs.

The city is represented in both codes of Rugby football. Rugby union club Cambridge R.U.F.C. were founded in 1923 [148] and play in National League 1[149] at their home ground, Grantchester Road, in the south-west corner of the city. Cambridge Lions represent the city in rugby league and are members of East Rugby League.[150]

Bumps race on the River Cam

The River Cam, which runs through the city centre, is used for boating. The university and its colleges are well known for rowing and the Cambridgeshire Rowing Association, formed in 1868, organises competitive rowing on the river outside of the university.[151] Rowing clubs based in the city include City of Cambridge RC, Cambridge '99 RC, Cantabrigian RC and Rob Roy BC. Parts of the Cam are used for recreational punting, a type of boating in which the craft is propelled by pushing against the river bed with a quant pole.

Cambridge Swimming Club, Cambridge Dive team and City of Cambridge Water Polo Club are all based at Parkside Swimming Pool.[152]

Home and training ground to many influential traceurs, Cambridge is well known for its vibrant, and at times high-profile, parkour and freerunning scene.[153][154]

Cambridge is home to two real tennis courts (out of about 50 in the world) at Cambridge University Real Tennis Club.[155][156] Cambridgeshire Cats play American football at Coldham's Common. Cambridge Royals are members of the British Baseball Federation's Triple-A South Division.[157] Cambridge has two cycling clubs: Team Cambridge[158] and Cambridge Cycling Club.[159] Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club[160] is the city's track and field club, based at the University of Cambridge's Wilberforce Road track. Cambridge Handball Club compete in the men's England Handball National Super 8 League and the women's England Handball National Super 7 League. There are three field hockey clubs; Cambridge City Hockey Club, Cambridge South Hockey Club and Cambridge Nomads. The city is also represented in polo by Cambridge Polo Club, based in Barton, just outside the city. The Romsey Town Rollerbillies play roller derby in Cambridge.[161] Speedway racing was formerly staged at a greyhound stadium in Coldhams Lane.[162]

Cambridge is known for the sporting events between the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, especially the rugby union Varsity Match and the Boat Race, though many of these do not take place within either Cambridge or Oxford.

Cambridge Corn Exchange

Cambridge's main traditional theatre is the Arts Theatre, a venue with 666 seats in the town centre.[163] The theatre often has touring shows, as well as those by local companies. The largest venue in the city to regular hold theatrical performances is the Cambridge Corn Exchange with a capacity of 1,800 standing or 1,200 seated. Housed within the city's 19th century former corn exchange building the venue was used for a variety of additional functions throughout the 20th century including tea parties, motor shows, sports matches and a music venue with temporary stage.[164] The City Council renovated the building in the 1980s, turning it into a full-time arts venue, hosting theatre, dance and music performances.[164] The newest theatre venue in Cambridge is the 220-seat J2, part of Cambridge Junction in Cambridge Leisure Park. The venue was opened in 2005 and hosts theatre, dance, live music and comedy[165] The ADC Theatre is managed by the University of Cambridge, and typically has 3 shows a week during term time. It hosts the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club which has produced many notable figures in British comedy. The Mumford Theatre is part of Anglia Ruskin University, and hosts shows by both student and non-student groups. There are also a number of venues within the colleges.

Within the city there are several notable museums, some run by the University of Cambridge Museums consortium and others independent of it.

The Fitzwilliam Museum is the city's largest, and is the lead museum of the University of Cambridge Museums. Founded in 1816 from the bequeathment and collections of Richard, Viscount FitzWilliam, the museum was originally located in the building of the Perse Grammar School in Free School Lane.[166] After a brief housing in the University of Cambridge library, it moved to its current, purpose-built building on Trumpington Street in 1848.[166] The museum has five departments: Antiquities; Applied Arts; Coins and Medals; Manuscripts and Printed Books; and Paintings, Drawings and Prints. Other members of the University of Cambridge Museums are the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Polar Museum, The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Museum of Classical Archaeology, The Whipple Museum of the History of Science, and the University Museum of Zoology.

The Museum of Cambridge, formerly known as the Cambridge & County Folk Museum, is a social history museum located in a former pub on Castle Street.[167] The Centre for Computing History, a museum dedicated to the story of the Information age, moved to Cambridge from Haverhill in 2013.[168] Housed in a former sewage pumping station, the Cambridge Museum of Technology has a collection of large exhibits related to the city's industrial heritage.

Pink Floyd are the most notable band with roots in Cambridge. The band's former songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett was born and lived in the city, and he and another founding member, Roger Waters, went to school together at Cambridgeshire High School for Boys. David Gilmour, the guitarist who replaced Barrett, was also a Cambridge resident and attended the nearby Perse School. Bands that were formed in Cambridge include Clean Bandit, Henry Cow, The Movies, Katrina and the Waves, The Soft Boys,[169] Ezio[170] The Broken Family Band,[171] Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats,[172] and the pop-classical group the King's Singers, who were formed at the university.[173] Solo artist Boo Hewerdine[174] is from Cambridge, as are drum and bass artists (and brothers) Nu:Tone and Logistics. Singers Matthew Bellamy,[175] of the rock band Muse, Tom Robinson,[176] Olivia Newton-John[177] and Charli XCX were born in the city. 2012 Mercury Prize winners Alt-J are based in Cambridge.[178]

Live music venues hosting popular music in the city include the Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge Junction and the Portland Arms,[179] as well as The Blue Moon. [180]

Started in 1991, the annual Cambridge Music Festival takes place each November.[181] The Cambridge Summer Music Festival takes place in July.[182]

Cambridge contains Kettle's Yard gallery of modern and contemporary art and the Heong Gallery which opened to the public in 2016 at Downing College.[183] Anglia Ruskin University operates the publicly accessible Ruskin Gallery within the Cambridge School of Art.[184] Wysing Arts Centre, one of the leading research centres for the visual arts in Europe, is associated with the city, though is located several miles west of Cambridge.[185] Artist-run organisations including Aid & Abet,[179] Cambridge Art Salon, Changing Spaces[186] and Motion Sickness[187] also run exhibitions, events and artists' studios in the city, often in short-term or temporary spaces.

Festival-goers attending the 2014 Cambridge Folk Festival

Several fairs and festivals take place in Cambridge, mostly during the British summer. Midsummer Fair dates back to 1211, when it was granted a charter by King John.[188] Today it exists primarily as an annual funfair with the vestige of a market attached and is held over several days around or close to midsummers day. On the first Saturday in June Midsummer Common is the site for Strawberry Fair, a free music and children's fair, with various market stalls. For one week in May, on Jesus Green, the annual Cambridge Beer Festival has been held since 1974.[189]

Cambridge Folk Festival is held annually in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall. The festival has been organised by the city council since its inception in 1964. The Cambridge Summer Music Festival is an annual festival of classical music, held in the university's colleges and chapels.[190] The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival is an eight-week season of open-air performances of the works of William Shakespeare, held in the gardens of various colleges of the university.[191] Started in 1977, the Cambridge Film Festival was held annually in July, moving to September in 2008 to avoid a clash with the rescheduled Edinburgh Film Festival.[192]

Sierpinski tetrahedron and menger sponge models at the Cambridge Science Festival

The Cambridge Science Festival, typically held annually in March, is the United Kingdom's largest free science festival.[193] The Cambridge Literary Festival, which focusses on contemporary literary fiction and non-fiction, is held bi-annually in April and November.[194] Between 1975 and 1985 the Cambridge Poetry Festival was held biannually.[195] Other festivals include the annual Mill Road Winter Fair, held the first Saturday of December,[196] the E-luminate Festival, which took place every February from 2013 to 2018,[197][198] and The Big Weekend, a city outdoor event organised by the City Council every July.[199]

Three Cambridge Free Festivals held in 1969, 1970, and 1971 that featured artists including David Bowie, King Crimson, Roy Harper, Spontaneous Combustion, UFO and others are believed by the festival organiser to have been the first free multiple-day rock music festivals held in the UK.[200][201][202][203][204][205][206][207][208]

The city has been the setting for all or part of several novels, including Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Rose Macaulay's They Were Defeated,[209] Kate Atkinson's Case Histories,[210] Rebecca Stott's Ghostwalk[211] and Robert Harris' Enigma,[212][213] while Susanna Gregory wrote a series of novels set in 14th century Cambridge.[214] Gwen Raverat, the granddaughter of Charles Darwin, talked about her late Victorian Cambridge childhood in her memoir Period Piece, and The Night Climbers of Cambridge is a book written by Noel Symington under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith" about nocturnal climbing on the colleges and town buildings of Cambridge in the 1930s.[215]

Fictionalised versions of Cambridge appear in Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden and Minnow on the Say, the city renamed as Castleford, and as the home of Tom Sharpe's fictional college in Porterhouse Blue.[216]

ITV TV series Granchester was partly filmed in Cambridge.[217]