Added: 05/06/2006 |
Sights in CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. It lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns and villages. Cambridge is known to be the home to the prestigious University of Cambridge, which includes the Cavendish Laboratory, the King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. This city is situated on the banks of the River Cam for over two thousand years and during these thousands years it has enriched its streets and squares with great amount of sights. Now we propose you to make a tour of sights in Cambridge.
Once visited Cambridge you will never forget this city full of colleges and institutes, museums and gardens, green parks and squares. Among this variety one of the most notable places is Queens' College. Founded by two Queens - Margaret of Anjou in 1448 and Elizabeth Woodville in 1465, the College stretches across both sides of the Cam, linked by the famous Mathematical Bridge.
There is a legend that this bridge was build by Isaac Newton without the use of pins, screws, nuts or bolts. And when this bridge was dismantled no one could figure out how to put it back together again. Of course this is only a myth because the bridge dates from 1749, 22 years after Newton's death.
Another college that is worth seeing is King's College and Chapel. The most visited attraction in Cambridge, the architecture of King's College Chapel towers above the town and its world-famous choir with the world-wide reputation.
Except great amount of colleges, you will have the ability to visit rather rich selection of museums and galleries. The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the Cambridge University. In Cambridge Fitzwilliam Museum you will have the opportunity to enjoy the collections of antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, Asiatic cultures and Cyprus; applied arts, including sculpture, furniture, clocks and rugs; rare illuminated manuscripts and books as well as many paintings, drawings and prints. In addition you can visit the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, the University Museum of Zoology, the Whipple Museum of the History of Science and Kettle's Yard (small modern art gallery).
If you want to relax you can easily do it in one of the parks and gardens in Cambridge. The Backs is the variety of gardens by the river behind various colleges. Botanic Garden of Cambridge University is a relaxing way to spend a few hours, away from the hustle and bustle of the colleges and canals.
Of course such rich tour can't be done without nice and nourishing meal. Cambridge is full of Chequers Inn - the country restaurants associated with old country inns. The food is varied international, including French and Mediterranean. The prices are also rather moderate.
The main feature of Cambridge is the fusion of styles. Cambridge is a wonderful mixture of the everyday and the extraordinary, a living city that has shaped history. As Cambridge is the city of colleges here you will have the ability to examine some of them. Having been built sporadically over the centuries, colleges and university buildings are the result of a styles mixture - both ancient and modern architecture.
One obvious landmark of style mixture is the tower of the University Library. The library was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. On the far side of the library the curious visitors can see Robinson College, the newest college built in about 1980. These two buildings are the representatives of almost different architecture trends but they seem "live" in a harmony.
St John's College and Magdalene College also have a number of architectural treats. As well as the Bridge of Sighs, St John's has buildings in almost every style of architecture starting with the 16th century hall in First Court and ending up with the extremely modern Cripps building.
Another one example of such diversity in styles can be best represented by the New Court building and the School of Pythagoras. The former built in the early 19th century and the latter is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge which dates from the early 13th century.
In Cambridge you can see more than 100 buildings that have notable architecture for one reason or another.
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