Cambridge

Last month during my mom's visit we spent a day in Cambridge. This town was originally a Roman fort, then a Saxon settlement before becoming a university town in 1209. The university was founded in Cambridge after a series of riots in Oxford between townspeople and students forced a group of scholars to leave for a more peaceful atmosphere. 

Construction of King's College Chapel began in 1446 as an act of piety by Henry VI and was finished by Henry VIII around 1516. It is the most impressive building in Cambridge and one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in England.

The inside of King's College Chapel is even more impressive than the outside. The 260 ft long ceiling is the largest example of fan vaulting in the world. Most churches in England had their stained glass broken out during the Civil War but it is said that Cromwell himself spared these windows because he knew of their beauty from his time studying at Cambridge. 

The bat wing organ was originally constructed in 1686 but has been updated several times since, most recently in 2010.

Cambridge University is made up of 31 colleges organized into six schools. It has produced 90 Nobel laureates, more than any other university in the world. Sadly, only male students were allowed to receive degrees until the 1960s and originally women were only allowed to work at Cambridge if they were ugly and married. 

Many myths surround the building of the Mathematical Bridge but none are true. One of the most popular stories is that it was designed by Sir Isaac Newton without the use of nuts or bolts. But Newton died 22 years before the bridge was built. 

Mom and I went on a punting tour on the river Cam. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat designed for use in shallow water. The river was full of tourists trying their hand at punting and we even saw someone fall in the river. The bridge shown below was used in the filming of The Theory of Everything about Stephen Hawking.

On the gateway entering Trinity College is a statue of Henry VIII holding a golden orb and sceptre. However, he is holding a table leg instead of the original sceptre. The table leg was put there by student pranksters and never replaced. Some say it is a reminder of who really rules the roost in Cambridge. 

Cambridge was a great day trip from London. We went on a free walking tour and had a great time learning more about this university town.