Cambridge is 50 miles north of London (1 hour from the M25). Lantern is
on the corner of Chesterton Rd and Elizabeth Way, with easy access to
the centre, the Science & Innovation business park & the Grafton
Shopping Centre
The 'Citi no.2' bus goes every 10 minutes from a few metres away from
Lantern House, to the town centre, Mill Rd and Addenbrookes.
more info
The Cambridge railway station is 1.9 miles away from Lantern House, a
short bus or taxi ride or abour 30 minutes walk.
more info
The University of Cambridge dates back over 800 years now, the first scholars and students coming
here from Oxford in 1209. The University is really divided into the University Faculties/Departments
and the Colleges. The Colleges are where the students and ‘Fellows’ normally live and the Faculties
are where the actual teaching and research is done in the various academic subjects.
Like the
Colleges, the Faculties are spread around Cambridge and some of them have interesting museums open to the public, eg. The Scott Polar Research
Institute on Lensfield road and the Cavendish (Physics) Laboratory off Madingley road. This has
many original pieces of apparatus and equipment used in the great discoveries in Physics.
Many of the colleges are very old and have
even older origins, usually church organisations on church land that was taken away from them
by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries, which did enable several of the grander
colleges to be founded. These are beautiful and well worth visiting.
The oldest college is Peterhouse,
founded in 1284. The biggest and most famous are Kings College, St John’s College, Trinity College
and Queens College. These are all near to each other and can be seen along the centre of town
between the old Round church and Kings Parade. Or you can go along the ‘Backs’ to see them next
to the river. Just a bit further along is Downing College, on Regent street, all
built in beautiful neoclassical
style.
There are many Museums associated with the university, the biggest is the Fitzwilliam
Museum (free entry), many college chapels and of course other colleges too.
The University of
Cambridge is of course pre-eminent in the Arts and Sciences and has in fact produced more Nobel
Prize winners than any other university.
http://www.cam.ac.uk/
http://www.cam.ac.uk/visitors
http://www.cam.ac.uk/museums/
Historical centre
The colleges, museums and old centre of town. Guided walks are
available for the town centre and the colleges, conducted by University
students or official guides.
www.OxbridgeTours.com
Punting
Punt tours are available, best in the Spring and Summer when it is not too cold, and a good
way to see Cambridge. You can hire a punt with a chauffeur to take you or have a go at punting
yourself but be careful not to fall in the river!
http://www.cambridgerivertour.co.uk/
Churches
There are many churches and College Chapels.
Kings college
chapel is a great attraction, from its majestic Gothic
architecture to its Rubens ‘Adoration of the Magi’ painting.
Great St Mary’s, the
‘University church’, offers great views of Cambridge from the
top of the tower.
The Round Church; built in 1129, only 63 years after the
Normans under William took over England is one of the
oldest churches in England and one of only 4 round churches and
the second oldest in Cambridge.
The oldest is the Anglo-Saxon church of
St Benet, in Bene’t
street, dating back to 1025. The Round
church is a good example of Romanesque Norman style and is open
to the public with exhibition
displays showing history from the Romans to the 20th Century.
Guided walks are available from the
Round church.
Museums
Fitzwilliam museum, other university museums open to the public,
eg. Zoological, Science, Technology, Archaeology and
Anthropology, Earth Sciences, the Whipple Science museum,
containing many scientific instruments.
http://www.cam.ac.uk/local/events/museums.html
Shopping
Several shopping centres, eg. The Arcade in the centre,
Grafton Centre, Beehive etc.
http://www.visitcambridge.org/VisitCambridge/Shopping.aspx
The University Botanic Garden
Big and very varied, well worth a
visit. http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk
