Sidgwick Avenue

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Sidgwick Avenue in Cambridge Sidwick Avenue in Cambridge.JPG
Sidgwick Avenue in Cambridge

Sidgwick Avenue is a road located in western Cambridge, England. [1] The avenue runs east-west and links Grange Road to the west with Queen's Road to the east. The line of the road continues northeast into central Cambridge as Silver Street. Sidgwick Avenue is flanked by Newnham College, Ridley Hall, Selwyn College, and the Sidgwick Site of the University of Cambridge.

Contents

Location

The majority of the southern side of the avenue is occupied by Newnham College with Ridley Hall, a theological college affiliated with the University, to the east.

The Sidgwick Site, which is home to university faculties including Law, History, Economics and Politics, occupies much of the northern side of the road. Lady Mitchell Hall, the Museum of Classical Archaeology, and the Marshall Library of Economics are also located in the Sidgwick Site. [2] To the west is the main part of Selwyn College and east of the Sidgwick site is the Harvey Court site of Gonville and Caius College.

The avenue is quite narrow and recent proposals have considered turning it into a pedestrian thoroughfare with carve outs for cycle lanes. [3]

History

The Old Hall at Newnham College, the first building of the college on Sidgwick Avenue Old Hall.JPG
The Old Hall at Newnham College, the first building of the college on Sidgwick Avenue

The origins of the Sidgwick Avenue are somewhat unclear, however remains from the Roman period have been found near the area near Selwyn and Newnham Colleges, suggesting some early human settlement and use of the area. [4]

The avenue was used under different names in the medieval and Tudor periods, with only sections of it near the City of Cambridge being paved with cobblestones. In the 19th century, the avenue became increasingly important and it was fully paved with cobbles and paving stones, some of which can be seen today. With the growth of Cambridge colleges during the 19th century, including Selwyn and Newnham, the avenue became more busy. Today, Sidgwick Avenue has become quite developed and serves as a link between the City of Cambridge and several colleges. [5]

Naming

According to the University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue is named after Henry and Eleanor Sidgwick. The early progress of women's rights at Cambridge University owes much to Henry Sidgwick, a Philosophy fellow of Trinity College who championed the cause throughout his life. In 1871, with Anne Clough, the first Principal of Newnham College, and Eleanor Balfour (Sidgwick's future wife), Sidgwick oversaw the purchase of a house for five female students who wished to attend lectures but did not live near enough to the University to do so. The avenue was envisioned as home for several colleges of the university and as a cross-town route to connect the area. In 1875, the first building was built on Sidgwick Avenue site of Newnham College, now called Old Hall. In 1882, the Old Court of Selwyn College was built on the other side of Sidgwick Avenue. [6] [7]

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Henry Sidgwick English philosopher and economist (1838–1900)

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Newnham College, Cambridge College of the University of Cambridge

Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

Ridley Hall, Cambridge Theological college in the United Kingdom

Ridley Hall is a theological college located on the corner of Sidgwick Avenue and Ridley Hall Road in Cambridge, which trains men and women intending to take Holy Orders as deacon or priest of the Church of England, and members of the laity working with children and young people as lay pioneers and within a pastoral capacity such as lay chaplaincy.

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Grange Road, Cambridge

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West Road, Cambridge

West Road is located in western Cambridge, England. It links Grange Road to the west with Queen's Road to the east. The road is north of Sidgwick Avenue and the Sidgwick Site, a major site of the University of Cambridge, currently under redevelopment. Facilities on West Road include the Cambridge University Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Music, the Faculty of English and the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, and the West Road Concert Hall.

Silver Street, Cambridge

Silver Street is located in the southwest of central Cambridge, England. It links Queen's Road to the west with Trumpington Street to the east. The road continues west out of central Cambridge as Sidgwick Avenue.

Queens Road, Cambridge

Queen's Road is a major road to the west of central Cambridge, England. It links with Madingley Road and Northampton Street to the north with Sidgwick Avenue, Newnham Road and Silver Street to the south.

Regent Street, Cambridge street in Cambridge, United Kingdom

Regent Street is an arterial street in southeast central Cambridge, England. It runs between St Andrew's Street, at the junction with Park Terrace, to the northwest and Hills Road at the junction with the A603 to the southeast. Regent Terrace runs in parallel immediately to the northeast. Beyond that is Parker's Piece, a large grassed area with footpaths.

The Casimir Lewy Library is the library of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. The library is located in the Raised Faculty building on the Sidgwick Site, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge. It is open to all members of the university.

Edith Sharpley English Lecturer

Edith Sharpley (1859–1940) was a Classical Lecturer at Newnham College, Cambridge from 1884 to 1910.

References

  1. Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge Online.
  2. https://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/pdfs/faculty/Sidgwick_Site_disability_access.pdf
  3. Holford, William (1950). "Cambridge Planning Proposals".
  4. Holford, William (1950). "Cambridge Planning Proposals".
  5. Holford, William (1950). "Cambridge Planning Proposals".
  6. Holford, William (1950). "Cambridge Planning Proposals".
  7. https://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/pdfs/faculty/Sidgwick_Site_disability_access.pdf

Coordinates: 52°12′01″N0°06′33″E / 52.2004°N 0.1093°E / 52.2004; 0.1093