Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north,Norfolk to the north-east,Suffolk to the east,Essex and Hertfordshire to the south,Northamptonshire to the west and Bedfordshire to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Peterborough,and the city of Cambridge is the county town.
The county has an area of 3,389 km2 (1,309 sq mi) and a population of 852,523. Peterborough and Cambridge,located in the north-west and south respectively,are by far the largest settlements. The remainder of the county is rural,and contains the city of Ely,and towns such as Wisbech and St Neots.
For local government purposes,Cambridgeshire comprises a non-metropolitan county,with five districts,and the unitary authority area of Peterborough. The local authorities collaborate through Cambridgeshire and Peterbrough Combined Authority. The county did not historically include Huntingdonshire or the Soke of Peterborough,which was part of Northamptonshire.
The north and east of the county are dominated by the Fens,an extremely flat,drained marsh maintained by drainage ditches and dykes. Holme Fen is the UK's lowest physical point,at 2.75 m (9 ft) below sea level. The flatness of the landscape makes the few areas of higher ground,such as that Ely is built on,very conspicuous. The landscape in the south and west is gently undulating. Cambridgeshire's principal rivers are the Nene,which flows through the north of the county and is canalised east of Peterborough;the Great Ouse,which flows from west to east past Huntingdon and Ely;and the Cam,a tributary of the Great Ouse which flows through Cambridge. [4]
Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of Flag Fen in Fengate,one of the earliest-known Neolithic permanent settlements in the United Kingdom,compared in importance to Balbridie in Aberdeen,Scotland. Must Farm quarry,at Whittlesey,has been described as "Britain's Pompeii due to its relatively good condition,including the 'best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found in the UK'". A great quantity of archaeological finds from the Stone Age,the Bronze Age,and the Iron Age were made in East Cambridgeshire. Most items were found in Isleham. [5]
The area was settled by the Anglo-Saxons starting in the fifth century. Genetic testing on seven skeletons found in Anglo-Saxon era graves in Hinxton and Oakington found that five were either migrants or descended from migrants from the continent,one was a native Briton,and one had both continental and native ancestry,suggesting intermarriage. [6]
Cambridgeshire was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Grantbridgeshire" (or rather Grentebrigescire) (related to the river Granta). Covering a large part of East Anglia,Cambridgeshire today is the result of several local government unifications. In 1888 when county councils were introduced,separate councils were set up,following the traditional division of Cambridgeshire,for
In 1965,these two administrative counties were merged to form Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. [7] Under the Local Government Act 1972 this merged with the county to the west,Huntingdon and Peterborough,which had been formed in 1965,by the merger of Huntingdonshire with the Soke of Peterborough (the latter previously a part of Northamptonshire with its own county council). The resulting county was called simply Cambridgeshire. [8]
Since 1998,the City of Peterborough has been separately administered as a unitary authority area. It is associated with Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes such as Lieutenancy and joint functions such as policing and the fire service. [9]
In 2002,the conservation charity Plantlife unofficially designated Cambridgeshire's county flower as the Pasqueflower. [10]
The Cambridgeshire Regiment (nicknamed the Fen Tigers),the county-based army unit,fought in the Boer War in South Africa,the First World War and Second World War. [11]
Due to the county's flat terrain and proximity to the continent,during the Second World War the military built many airfields here for RAF Bomber Command,RAF Fighter Command,and the allies USAAF. In recognition of this collaboration,the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Madingley. It is the only WWII burial ground in England for American servicemen who died during that event. [12]
Most English counties have nicknames for their people,such as a "Tyke" from Yorkshire and a "Yellowbelly" from Lincolnshire. The historical nicknames for people from Cambridgeshire are "Cambridgeshire Camel" [13] or "Cambridgeshire Crane",the latter referring to the wildfowl that were once abundant in the Fens. The term "Fen Tigers" is sometimes used to describe the people who live and work in the Fens. [14]
Original historical documents relating to Cambridgeshire are held by Cambridgeshire Archives. Cambridgeshire County Council Libraries maintains several Local Studies collections of printed and published materials,significantly at the Cambridgeshire Collection held in the Cambridge Central Library.
Cambridgeshire's county flag was made official on 1 February 2015,after the design was selected as an entry from a design competition that ran during 2014. The design features three golden crowns,two on the top,one on the bottom that are separated by two wavy lines in the middle. The crowns are meant to represent East Anglia,and the two lines represent the River Cam and are in the Cambridge University's colours. [15]
Large areas of the county are extremely low-lying and Holme Fen is notable for being the UK's lowest physical point at 2.75 m (9 ft) below sea level. The highest point of the modern administrative county is in the village of Great Chishill at 146 m (480 ft) above sea level. However,this parish was historically a part of Essex,having been moved to Cambridgeshire in boundary changes in 1895. The historic county top is close to the village of Castle Camps where a point on the disused RAF airfield reaches a height of 128 metres (420 ft) above sea level (grid reference TL 63282 41881).
Other prominent hills are Little Trees Hill and Wandlebury Hill (both at 74 m (243 ft)) in the Gog Magog Hills,Rivey Hill above Linton,Rowley's Hill and the Madingley Hills.
Wicken Fen is a 254.5-hectare (629-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Wicken. A large part of it is owned and managed by the National Trust. [16]
The Cambridge Green Belt around the city of Cambridge extends to places such as Waterbeach,Lode,Duxford,Little &Great Abington and other communities a few miles away in nearby districts,to afford a protection from the conurbation. It was first drawn up in the 1950s.
Cambridgeshire County Council is controlled by an alliance of the Liberal Democrats,the Labour Party and independent groups,while Peterborough City Council is currently controlled by a Conservative Party minority administration.
The county contains seven Parliamentary constituencies:
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Cambridgeshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of English Pounds Sterling.
Year | Regional Gross Value Added [note 1] | Agriculture [note 2] | Industry [note 3] | Services [note 4] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 5,896 | 228 | 1,646 | 4,022 |
2000 | 7,996 | 166 | 2,029 | 5,801 |
2003 | 10,154 | 207 | 2,195 | 7,752 |
AWG plc is based in Huntingdon. The RAF has several stations in the Huntingdon and St Ives area. RAF Alconbury,three miles north of Huntingdon,is being reorganised after a period of obsolescence following the departure of the USAF,to be the focus of RAF/USAFE intelligence operations,with activities at Upwood and Molesworth being transferred there. Most of Cambridgeshire is agricultural. Close to Cambridge is the so-called Silicon Fen area of high-technology (electronics,computing and biotechnology) companies. ARM Limited is based in Cherry Hinton. The inland Port of Wisbech on the River Nene is the county's only remaining port.
Cambridgeshire has a comprehensive education system with over 240 state schools,not including sixth form colleges. The independent sector includes King's Ely and Wisbech Grammar School,founded in 970 and 1379 respectively,they are two of the oldest schools in the country. [17]
Some of the secondary schools act as Village Colleges,institutions unique to Cambridgeshire. For example,Comberton Village College.
Cambridgeshire is home to a number of institutes of higher education:
In addition,Cambridge Regional College and Huntingdonshire Regional College both offer a limited range of higher education courses in conjunction with partner universities.
These are the settlements in Cambridgeshire with a town charter,city status or a population over 5,000;for a complete list of settlements see list of places in Cambridgeshire.
See the List of Cambridgeshire settlements by population page for more detail.
The town of Newmarket is surrounded on three sides by Cambridgeshire,being connected by a narrow strip of land to the rest of Suffolk.
Cambridgeshire has seen 32,869 dwellings created from 2002 to 2013 [18] and there are a further 35,360 planned new dwellings between 2016 and 2023. [19]
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Cambridgeshire has a maritime temperate climate which is broadly similar to the rest of the United Kingdom, though it is drier than the UK average due to its low altitude and easterly location, the prevailing southwesterly winds having already deposited moisture on higher ground further west. Average winter temperatures are cooler than the English average, due to Cambridgeshire's inland location and relative nearness to continental Europe, which results in the moderating maritime influence being less strong. Snowfall is slightly more common than in western areas, due to the relative winter coolness and easterly winds bringing occasional snow from the North Sea. In summer temperatures are average or slightly above, due to less cloud cover. It reaches 25 °C (77 °F) on around ten days each year, and is comparable to parts of Kent and East Anglia.
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record high °C (°F) | 15.7 (60.3) | 18.8 (65.8) | 23.9 (75.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 31.1 (88.0) | 35.0 (95.0) | 39.9 (103.8) | 36.9 (98.4) | 33.9 (93.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 16.0 (60.8) | 39.9 (103.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) | 8.6 (47.5) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.6 (58.3) | 18.0 (64.4) | 20.8 (69.4) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 15.3 (59.5) | 10.9 (51.6) | 8.1 (46.6) | 15.1 (59.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) | 5.2 (41.4) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 12.8 (55.0) | 15.6 (60.1) | 17.9 (64.2) | 17.7 (63.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 11.4 (52.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | 10.8 (51.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | 3.1 (37.6) | 4.7 (40.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 12.5 (54.5) | 10.2 (50.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 1.9 (35.4) | 6.5 (43.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −16.1 (3.0) | −17.2 (1.0) | −11.7 (10.9) | −6.1 (21.0) | −4.4 (24.1) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | −2.2 (28.0) | −6.5 (20.3) | −13.3 (8.1) | −15.6 (3.9) | −17.2 (1.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 47.2 (1.86) | 35.9 (1.41) | 32.2 (1.27) | 36.2 (1.43) | 43.9 (1.73) | 52.3 (2.06) | 53.2 (2.09) | 57.6 (2.27) | 49.3 (1.94) | 56.5 (2.22) | 54.4 (2.14) | 49.8 (1.96) | 568.4 (22.38) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.7 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 107.3 |
Source: ECA&D [20] |
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record high °C (°F) | 15.4 (59.7) | 18.3 (64.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 29.5 (85.1) | 33.5 (92.3) | 39.9 (103.8) | 36.1 (97.0) | 32.0 (89.6) | 29.3 (84.7) | 18.3 (64.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 39.9 (103.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) | 8.3 (46.9) | 11.0 (51.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 17.4 (63.3) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.6 (67.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 10.7 (51.3) | 8.0 (46.4) | 14.9 (58.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) | 5.0 (41.0) | 7.0 (44.6) | 9.4 (48.9) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.4 (59.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.7 (63.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 11.5 (52.7) | 7.6 (45.7) | 5.1 (41.2) | 10.7 (51.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.1 (37.6) | 4.6 (40.3) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 12.6 (54.7) | 10.5 (50.9) | 7.9 (46.2) | 4.5 (40.1) | 2.2 (36.0) | 6.7 (44.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −16.0 (3.2) | −15.3 (4.5) | −9.4 (15.1) | −5.9 (21.4) | −1.8 (28.8) | 0.0 (32.0) | 4.8 (40.6) | 3.3 (37.9) | −0.6 (30.9) | −5.4 (22.3) | −8.9 (16.0) | −12.5 (9.5) | −16.0 (3.2) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48.6 (1.91) | 35.7 (1.41) | 32.9 (1.30) | 37.6 (1.48) | 43.2 (1.70) | 49.1 (1.93) | 48.3 (1.90) | 55.9 (2.20) | 47.6 (1.87) | 58.7 (2.31) | 52.6 (2.07) | 49.2 (1.94) | 559.4 (22.02) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.4 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 107.2 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 57.2 | 77.8 | 118.4 | 157.2 | 182.7 | 182.5 | 190.0 | 181.3 | 144.0 | 110.3 | 67.6 | 53.7 | 1,522.7 |
Source 1: Met Office [21] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather [22] [23] |
Various forms of football have been popular in Cambridgeshire since medieval times at least. In 1579 one match played at Chesterton between townspeople and University of Cambridge students ended in a violent brawl that led the Vice-Chancellor to issue a decree forbidding them to play "footeball" outside of college grounds. [24] During the nineteenth century, several formulations of the laws of football, known as the Cambridge rules, were created by students at the university. One of these codes, dating from 1863, had a significant influence on the creation of the original laws of the Football Association. [25]
Cambridgeshire is also the birthplace of bandy, [26] now an IOC accepted sport. [27] According to documents from 1813, Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years. A member of the club, Charles Goodman Tebbutt, wrote down the first official rules in 1882. [26] Tebbutt was instrumental in spreading the sport to many countries. [28] Great Britain Bandy Association is based in Cambridgeshire. [29]
Fen skating is a traditional form of skating in the Fenland. The National Ice Skating Association was set up in Cambridge in 1879, they took the top Fen skaters to the world speedskating championships where James Smart (skater) became world champion. [30]
On 6–7 June 2015, the inaugural Tour of Cambridgeshire cycle race took place on closed roads across the county. The event was an official UCI qualification event, and consisted of a Time Trial on the 6th, and a Gran Fondo event on the 7th. The Gran Fondo event was open to the public, and over 6000 riders took part in the 128 km (80 mi) race. [31]
The River Cam is the main river flowing through Cambridge, parts of the River Nene and River Great Ouse lie within the county. In 2021 the latter was used as the course for The Boat Race. The River Cam serves as the course for the university Lent Bumps and May Bumps and the non-college rowing organised by Cambridgeshire Rowing Association.
There is only one racecourse in Cambridgeshire, located at Huntingdon.
Cambridge is home to the Kettle's Yard gallery and the artist-run Aid and Abet project space. Nine miles west of Cambridge next to the village of Bourn is Wysing Arts Centre. [32] Wisbech has been home to the Wisbech Gallery, South Brink since 2023. Cambridge Open Studios is the region's large arts organisation with over 500 members. Every year, more than 370 artists open their doors to visitors during four weekends in July. [33]
The annual Fenland Poet Laureate awards were instigated for poets in the North of the county in 2012 at Wisbech & Fenland Museum. [34]
The county was visited by travelling companies of comedians in the Georgian period. These came from different companies. The Lincoln Circuit included, at various times, Wisbech and Whittlesey. The Wisbech Georgian theatre still survives as an operating theatre now known as The Angles Theatre. In Cambridge the ADC Theatre is the venue for the Footlights.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(September 2024) |
The county is covered by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Local radio includes BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Greatest Hits Radio East, Heart East, Smooth East Midlands (only covering Peterborough), and Star Radio. The community radio stations are Black Cat Radio in St Neots; Cam FM and Cambridge 105 in Cambridge; Huntingdon Community Radio; and Peterborough Community Radio and Salaam Radio in Peterborough.
Key | |
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral | |
Accessible open space | |
Amusement/Theme Park | |
Castle | |
Country Park | |
English Heritage | |
Forestry Commission | |
Heritage railway | |
Historic House | |
Places of Worship | |
| Museum (free/not free) |
National Trust | |
Theatre | |
Zoo |
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in what is now Northern Germany.
Huntingdonshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the east, South Cambridgeshire to the south-east, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford to the south-west, and North Northamptonshire to the west.
The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system of drainage channels and man-made rivers and automated pumping stations. There have been unintended consequences to this reclamation, as the land level has continued to sink and the dykes have been built higher to protect it from flooding.
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles (8 km) south of Lincolnshire. The tidal River Nene running through the town is spanned by two road bridges. Wisbech is in the Isle of Ely and has been described as "the Capital of The Fens".
Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. It was historically part of the Isle of Ely. The district covers around 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) of mostly agricultural land in the extremely flat Fens. The council is based in Fenland Hall, in March. Other towns include Chatteris, Whittlesey and Wisbech, the largest of the four.
Whittlesey is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. Whittlesey is 6 miles (10 km) east of Peterborough. The population of the parish was 17,667 at the 2021 Census.
Chatteris is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, situated in the Fens between Huntingdon, March and Ely. The town is in the North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the local territorial police force that covers the county of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough unitary authority. It provides law enforcement and security for an area of 1,311 square miles (3,400 km2) and population of 856,000 people, in a predominantly rural county. The force of Cambridgeshire includes the cities of Cambridge, Ely and Peterborough, the market towns of Chatteris, Huntingdon, March, Ramsey, St Ives, St Neots, Whittlesey, and town and Port of Wisbech. Its emblem is a crowned Brunswick star containing the heraldic badge of Cambridgeshire County Council.
The English county of Cambridgeshire has a long history.
A civil parish is a country subdivision, forming the lowest unit of local government in England. There are 264 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, most of the county being parished; Cambridge is completely unparished; Fenland, East Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire are entirely parished. At the 2001 census, there were 497,820 people living in the parishes, accounting for 70.2 per cent of the county's population.
Farcet (/ˈfæsət/) is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Farcet lies approximately 2 miles (3 km) south of Peterborough city centre, between Yaxley and the Peterborough suburb of Old Fletton. Farcet is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England.
Holme is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Holme lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Peterborough, near Conington and Yaxley. Holme is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. The parish contains the lowest point in Great Britain, 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) below sea level.
Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council for non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes the City of Peterborough. The county council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall in Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon. It is part of the East of England Local Government Association and a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Earith is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Lying approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of Huntingdon, Earith is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. At Earith, two artificial diversion channels of the River Great Ouse, the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River, leave the river on a course to Denver Sluice near Downham Market, where they rejoin the Great Ouse in its tidal part. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,677, reducing to 1,606 at the 2011 Census.
Fen skating is a traditional form of ice skating in the Fenland of England. The Fens of East Anglia, with their easily flooded meadows, form an ideal skating terrain. Bone skates have been found in the area dating back to the medieval period.
Outwell is a village and civil parish in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, in the English county of Norfolk.
A roddon, also written as rodham, roddam or rodden, is the dried raised bed of a watercourse such as a river or tidal-creek, especially in The Fens in eastern England. Such raised silt and clay-filled beds are ideal for settlement in the less firm peat of The Fens. Many writers have followed the archaeologist Major Gordon Fowler's preference for the word roddon to define such structures though modern researchers suggest the word rodham is the more correct local word.
Port of Wisbech is an inland port on the River Nene in Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. It is mainly used for cargo and industrial purposes, with the southern part of the port housing a number of berths for yachts. Fenland District Council is the harbour authority for most of the River Nene; as well as operating the port and harbour, it provides a Port Health service to commercial ships, leisure craft and fishing vessels. The port runs a fortnightly service from Riga, Latvia importing from the Baltic.