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The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen.
Cambridge is best known as the home of the University of Cambridge, one of the world's premier universities. The university includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two buildings, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital in the far south of the city and St John's College Chapel tower in the north.
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The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen.
Cambridge is best known as the home of the University of Cambridge, one of the world's premier universities. The university includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two buildings, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital in the far south of the city and St John's College Chapel tower in the north. The pronunciation of the city's name is distinct from that of Cambridge in Gloucestershire, England, which is .
According to the 2001 United Kingdom census, the City's population was 108,863 (including 22,153 students), and the population of the urban area (which includes parts of South Cambridgeshire district) is estimated to be 130,000. Cambridge is surrounded by many smaller towns and villages.
History
Prehistory
Settlements have existed around this area of East Anglia since before the Roman Empire. The earliest clear evidence of occupation were the remains of a 3,500-year-old farmstead discovered at the site of Fitzwilliam College. There is further archaeological evidence through the Iron Age, a Belgic tribe having settled on Castle Hill in the 1st century BC.
Roman times
The first major development of the area began with the Roman invasion of Britain in about AD 40. Castle Hill made Cambridge a useful place for a military outpost from which to defend the River Cam. It was also the crossing point for the Via Devana which linked Colchester in Essex with the garrisons at Lincoln and the north. This Roman settlement has been identified as Duroliponte.
The settlement remained a regional centre during the 350 years after the Roman occupation, until about AD 400. Roman roads and walled enclosures can still be seen in the area.
Saxon and Viking age
After the Romans had left, Saxons took over the land on and around Castle Hill. Their grave goods have been found in the area. During Anglo-Saxon times Cambridge benefited from good trade links across the otherwise hard-to-travel fenlands. By the 7th century, however, visitors from nearby Ely reported that Cambridge had declined severely. Cambridge is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Grantebrycge.
The arrival of the Vikings in Cambridge was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 875. Viking rule, the Danelaw, had been imposed by 878. The Vikings' vigorous trading habits caused Cambridge to grow rapidly. During this period the centre of the town shifted from Castle Hill on the left bank of the river to the area now known as the Quayside on the right bank. After the end of the Viking period the Saxons enjoyed a brief return to power, building St Bene't's church in 1025, which still stands in Bene't Street.
Norman times
In 1068, two years after his conquest of England, William of Normandy built a castle on Castle Hill. Like the rest of the new kingdom, Cambridge fell under the control of the King and his deputies. The distinctive Round Church dates from this period. By Norman times the name of the town had mutated to Grentabrige or Cantebrigge (Grantbridge), while the river that flowed through it was called the Granta.
Over time the name of the town changed to Cambridge, while the river Cam was still known as the Granta — indeed the Upper River (the stretch between the Millpond in Cambridge and Grantchester) is correctly known as the Granta to this day. The Welsh language name of the town remains Caergrawnt (roughly analogous to Grantchester, which is also the name of a village near Cambridge). It was only later that the river became known as the Cam, by analogy with the name Cambridge. The University, formed 1209, uses a Latin adjective cantabrigiensis (often contracted to "Cantab") to mean "of Cambridge", but this is obviously a back-formation from the English name.
Beginnings of the university
In 1209, students escaping from hostile townspeople in Oxford fled to Cambridge and formed a university there. The oldest college that still exists, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284. One of the most impressive buildings in Cambridge, King's College Chapel, was begun in 1446 by King Henry VI. The project was completed in 1515 during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Cambridge University Press originated with a printing licence issued in 1534. Hobson's Conduit, the first project to bring clean drinking water to the town centre, was built in 1610 (by the Hobson of Hobson's choice). Parts of it survive today. Addenbrooke's Hospital was founded in 1766. The railway and station were built in 1845. According to legend, the University dictated their location: well away from the centre of town, so that the possibility of quick access to London would not distract students from their work. However, there is no basis for this in written record.
Despite having a university, Cambridge was not granted its city charter until 1951. Cambridge does not have a cathedral (traditionally a pre-requisite for city status), and falls within the Church of England Diocese of Ely.
Original historical documents relating to the town of Cambridge (as opposed to the university or colleges within Cambridge) are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office Cambridge and at the Cambridgeshire Collection. These records include original registers for the parish churches dating back to the 1530s, local government records, maps, photographs, and records of some businesses, schools and charities.
Cambridge today
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Cambridge is now one of East Anglia's major settlements, along with Norwich, Ipswich and Peterborough. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the size of the city was greatly increased by several large council estates planned to hold London overspill. The biggest impact has been on the area north of the river, which is now home to the estates of Arbury, East Chesterton and King's Hedges, while there are many smaller estates to the south of the city.
Drawing on its links with the University, the Cambridge area today is sometimes referred to as Silicon Fen, due to the growth of high tech businesses and technology incubators that have sprung up in the series of science parks and other developments in and around the city. Such companies include Abcam, a global online antibody retailer, CSR, world leader in Bluetooth chips, Acorn Computers (now ARM) and Sinclair. Microsoft chose to locate its Microsoft Research UK offices in a University of Cambridge technology park, separate from the main Microsoft UK campus in Reading, Berkshire. Cambridge was also the home of Pye Limited famous in the last century for early wireless and TV sets. In later years Pye evolved into several other companies including Pye Telecommunications (now Sepura, famous for TETRA radio equipment). Another major business is Marshall Aerospace located on the eastern edge of the city. Such businesses and their early stage precursors are well networked within the Cambridge Network.
The University was joined by the larger part of Anglia Ruskin University, and the educational reputation has led to other bodies (such as The Open University in the East of England) basing themselves in the city.
Geography
At , Cambridge is located approximately 48 miles north-by-east of central London. The city is located in an area of level and relatively low-lying terrain just south of the Fens, which varies between 6 and 24 meters above sea level. The river Cam flows just north of the city centre, and south down to the village of Grantchester. The name 'Cambridge' is derived from said river.
Like most cities, modern-day Cambridge has many suburbs, with some areas of high-density housing. The city centre of Cambridge is mostly commercial, historic buildings, and large green areas such as Jesus Green, Parker's Piece and Midsummer Common. Many of the roads in the centre are pedestrianised.
Many of the buildings in the centre are colleges affiliated to the University of Cambridge, including King's College and Magdalen College. Colleges such as Trinity College and St John's College own significant land both in Cambridge and outside: Trinity is the landlord for the Cambridge Science Park, and also the port of Felixstowe; St John's is the landlord of St John's Innovation Park next door to the Science Park, and many other buildings in the city centre.
Legislature
The City of Cambridge is one of five districts within the county of Cambridgeshire, and is bordered on all sides by the mainly rural South Cambridgeshire district. Indeed, it is the only district in England to be entirely surrounded by another.
There are fourteen electoral wards in Cambridge, many of which are broadly aligned with established areas or districts within the city.
North Cambridge
- Arbury - East of Castle and west of West Chesterton and King's Hedges. Area round Histon Road.
- King's Hedges - The far north of the city, south of the A14. Area round Cambridge Regional College and Cambridge Science Park.
- West Chesterton - North of the river around Victoria Road.
- East Chesterton - Area around Milton Road stretching all the way north east to Cowley Road.
South Cambridge
- Trumpington - Large area south west of the city, and south of the river. Around Trumpington Road, High Street and Cambridge Lakes Golf Course. The largest ward in Cambridge.
- Queen Edith's - Far south of the city. Area around Hills Road (south of Cherry Hinton Road), Long Road, Queen Edith's Way and Addenbrookes Hospital.
- Cherry Hinton - East of Queen Edith's and Coleridge. Area around Fulbourn Road and High Street as well as the eastern stretches of Cherry Hinton Road and Coldham's Lane.
West Cambridge
- Castle - West of Arbury and north of Newnham. Area around Huntington Road. Area is sometimes called "Castle Hill", despite there only being a hill, no castle.
- Market - Centre of Cambridge stretching both sides of the river as it heads north. Home to Jesus Lane, Silver Street, King's Parade, Lion Yard and Sidney Steet. Carries on west until Queen's Road.
- Newnham - Western part of the city. Area north of the river around Madingley Road in the north to Barton Road in the south as well as Queen's Road and The Fen Causeway.
East Cambridge
- Abbey - Central east of the city, south of the river. Area around Newmarket Road, Cambridge Airport and the Abbey Stadium.
- Petersfield - Small area in the centre of the city. Home to the Grafton Center, Parker's Piece, Gonville Place and East Road. The smallest ward in Cambridge.
- Romsey - Triangle shaped bordering Petersfield, Abbey, Cherry Hinton and Coleridge. Area around Mill Road and train track north of the station.
- Coleridge - South of Romsey between Hills Road and Perne Road. Around Cherry Hinton Road and Coleridge Road.
Demographics
In the 2001 Census (held during University term), 89.44% of Cambridge residents identified themselves as white, compared with a national average of 92.12%. Within the University, 84% of undergraduates and 80% of post-graduates identify as white (including overseas students).
Cambridge has a much higher than average proportion of people in the highest paid professional, managerial or administrative jobs (32.6% vs. 23.5%) and a much lower than average proportion of manual workers (27.6% vs. 40.2%). In addition, a much higher than average proportion of people have a high level qualification (e.g. degree, HND, qualified doctor), (41.2% vs. 19.9%).
Historical population
| Historical population of Cambridge | | Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
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| Population | 10,087 | 11,108 | 14,142 | 20,917 | 24,453 | 27,815 | 26,361 | 30,078 | 35,363 | 36,983 |
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| Year | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
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| Population | 38,379 | 40,027 | 59,264 | 66,789 | 81,500 | 95,527 | 99,168 | 87,209 | 107,496 | 108,863 |
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Census: Regional District 1801-1901
Civil Parish 1911-1961
District 1971-2001
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Government and politics
Local government
Cambridge is a non-metropolitan district served by a city council. The city council's headquarters are in the Guildhall , a large building in the market square. City councillors elect a mayor annually. Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a Mayor, although the first recorded Mayor, Harvey FitzEustace, served in 1213.. Cambridge is also served by Cambridgeshire County Council.
For electoral purposes the city is divided into 14 wards.
The political composition of the city council is currently:
The Liberal Democrats have controlled the city council since 2000.
Cambridge is the only local authority in England to be entirely surrounded by another, South Cambridgeshire.
Westminster
The parliamentary constituency of Cambridge covers most of the city. David Howarth (Liberal Democrat) was elected Member of Parliament (MP) at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from the sitting MP, Labour's Anne Campbell. One area of town, the Queen Edith's ward — lies in the
South Cambridgeshire constituency, whose MP is Andrew Lansley (Conservative), first elected in 1997. The city had previously elected a Labour MP from 1992 to 2005 and prior to this, usually elected a Conservative after the Second World War. However, the Conservatives came third in the last General Election and have seen their share of the vote fall over the past 20 years.
The University used to have a seat in the House of Commons, Sir Isaac Newton being one of the most notable holders. The Cambridge University constituency was abolished under 1948 legislation, and ceased at the dissolution of Parliament for the 1950 general election, along with the other university constituencies.
Transport
Roads
Because of its rapid growth in the 20th century, Cambridge has a congested road network. Several major roads intersect at Cambridge. The M11 motorway from east London terminates there where it joins the A14. Skirting the northern edge of the city, the A14 is a major freight route which connects the port of Felixstowe on the east coast with the Midlands, North Wales, the west coast and Ireland. The A14 is often congested, particularly the section between Huntingdon and Cambridge where the east–west traffic is merged with the A1 to M11 north–south traffic on a 2-lane dual carriageway. The A10, a former Roman road from north London, passes round the city on its way to Ely and King's Lynn. Other roads connect the city with Bedford, St Neots, Newmarket and Colchester.
The city has a ring road, the A1134, about a mile and a half in diameter, inside which there are traffic restrictions. It has a well developed bus service including five Park and Ride sites encouraging motorists to park near the city's edge, four of which (in Babraham Road, Trumpington, Madingley Road and Newmarket Road) operate 7 days a week.
Rail
railway station was built in 1845 with a platform designed to take two full-length trains, one of the longest in the country. Cambridge has direct rail links to London with termini at (via and the East Coast Main Line) and (via the West Anglia Main Line). There is a direct shuttle service to King's Cross every half hour during off peak hours. Peak hour trains to King's Cross all have additional stops. Future developments for the Cambridge to London line include the provision of high speed trains from 2013.
Cambridge is also linked to and (via the Fen Line), (via the Breckland Line), , Birmingham New Street, and London Stansted Airport. The important UK rail hub of is also less than an hour away from Cambridge.
The railway service connecting Cambridge and Oxford, known as the Varsity Line, was discontinued in 1968. A second station within the city, in Chesterton, has been proposed and in 2009 received the backing of the East of England Regional Assembly.
Air
The city's airport is known as Marshall Airport Cambridge UK (formerly Teversham Aerodrome) and is owned by Marshall Aerospace. Although the runway can accommodate an unladen Boeing 747 or MD-11 and ScotAirways used to make scheduled flights to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, there are no regular scheduled passenger services in 2008 and the airport is used mainly by business, leisure and training flights. In 2004 a charter service to Jersey was operated by Aurigny Air Services using Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. A dealer in fibreglass-moulded light monoplanes is also based at the airport. Removal of Marshalls to a site away from the city, with development of the airport site for housing, is a possibility over the next 5-10 years.
London Luton Airport and particularly London Stansted Airport are both easily accessible from Cambridge. The larger London airports are also, being about 90 minutes' travel.
Cycling
As a university town lying on fairly flat ground and with traffic congestion, Cambridge has a large number of cyclists. Many residents also prefer cycling to driving in the narrow, busy streets, giving the city the highest level of cycle use in the UK. According to the 2001 census, 25% of residents travelled to work by bicycle. A few roads within the city are adapted for cycling, including separate traffic lights for cycle lanes and cycle contraflows on streets which are otherwise one-way; the city also benefits from parks which have shared use paths. There are, however, no separate cycle paths within the city centre. Despite the high levels of cycling, expenditure on cycling infrastructure is around the national average of 0.3% of the transport budget. There are a few cycle routes in the surrounding countryside and the city is now linked to the National Cycle Network. The main organisation campaigning to improve conditions for cyclists in Cambridge is the Cambridge Cycling Campaign.
Bike theft in the city is a problem, with over 3000 bicycles reported stolen between April 2005 and March 2006. The actual number is believed to be higher as many thefts are not reported to the police.
Guided bus
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, set to be the world's longest guided busway, is under construction and will pass through Cambridge. It will run on the road from Huntingdon to St Ives, then along the disused railway line south-east to Cambridge, where it will rejoin the road to the city's railway station. From there it will again be guided to Addenbrooke's Hospital and Trumpington. The scheme, budgeted at £116.2 million, was scheduled to open in early 2009 but has been beset by delays and is unlikely to open before the British summer, and even then only in parts. The scheme has been heavily criticised by campaigners who believe the route would be better served by rail.
Culture
Sport
Football
Cambridge played a unique role in the invention of modern football: the game's first set of rules were drawn up by members of the University in 1848. The Cambridge Rules were first played on Parker's Piece and had a "defining influence on the 1863 Football Association rules.".
The city is home to Cambridge United F.C., who played in the Football League at the Abbey Stadium from 1970 to 2005, when they were relegated to Conference National. When relegation became inevitable the club was placed in administration with substantial debts, but it emerged from administration in time for the 2005–06 season. The club's biggest success came in the early 1990s, with two successive promotions, two successive FA Cup quarter-final appearances, a run to the Football League Cup quarter-finals, and reaching the brink of promotion to the new Blue Square Premier League.
The city's other football club Cambridge City F.C. play in the Southern Football League Premier Division at the City Ground in Chesterton. Histon, just north of Cambridge, is home to Conference National side Histon F.C..
Rugby
Cambridge's most successful sports team over recent years is rugby union club Cambridge R.U.F.C.. After three successive promotions they managed to survive their debut season in National Division Two 2006–07. The club's home ground is at West Renault Park on Granchester Road in the south west corner of the city. Cambridge Eagles rugby league team play in the National Conference League East Section during the summer months, often drawing on rugby union players keen to continue playing rugby throughout the year.
Watersports
The River Cam running through the city centre is used for boating. The University has its own rowing club, Cambridge University Boat Club, and most of the individual colleges have boathouses on the river. Cambridgeshire Rowing Association was formed in 1868 and organises competitive rowing on the river outside of the University. Shallower parts of the Cam are used used for recreational punting, a type of boating in which the craft is propelled by pushing against the river bed with a pole.
Other sports
As well as being the home of the Cambridge Rules in football, Parker's Piece was used for first-class cricket matches from 1817 to 1864. The University of Cambridge's Cricket ground, Fenner's, is located in the city and is one of the home grounds for minor counties team Cambridgeshire CCC. Cambridge is also home to two Real Tennis courts out of just 42 in the world at Cambridge University Real Tennis Club. British American Football League club Cambridgeshire Cats play at Coldham's Common.
Motorcycle speedway racing took place at the Greyhound Stadium in Newmarket Road in 1939. It is not known if this venue operated in other years. The team raced as Newmarket as the meetings were organised by the Newmarket Motorcycle Club.
Varsity sports
Cambridge is also known for its university sporting events against Oxford, especially the rugby union Varsity Match and the Boat Race. These are followed by people across the globe, many of whom have no connection to the institutions themselves.
Theatre
Cambridge's main traditional theatre is the Arts Theatre, a venue with 666 seats in the town centre. The theatre often has touring shows, as well as those by local companies. The largest venue in the city to regular hold theatrical performances is the Corn Exchange - capacity 1800 standing or 1200 seated. Housed within the city's 19th century former corn exchange building the venue was used for a variety of additional functions throughout the 20th century including tea parties, motor shows, sports matches and a music venue with temporary stage. The City Council renovated the building in the 1980s, turning it into a full-time arts venue, hosting theatre, dance and music performances.
The newest theatre venue in Cambridge is the 220-seat J2, also known as The Shed, part of the Junction complex in Cambridge Leisure Park. The venue was opened in 2004 and hosts live music, comedy and night clubs as well as traditional and contemporary theatre and dance.
The ADC Theatre is managed by the University of Cambridge, and typically has 3 shows a week during term time. The Mumford Theatre is part of Anglia Ruskin University, and hosts shows by both student and non student groups. There are also a number of venues within the colleges.
Cambridge in literature and film
- In the 1950s, the English children's writer Philippa Pearce created a fictionalised version of Cambridge known as "Castleford" (not connected to the real town of the same name in West Yorkshire). It appears in several of her books, most notably Tom's Midnight Garden and Minnow on the Say. The main distinguishing point between "Castleford" and the real Cambridge is that this "Castleford" does not have a university.
- Tom Sharpe is also a Cambridge-based author who has written fictional accounts of teaching at Cambridge Technical College (now Anglia Ruskin University) and of Cambridge college life. His fictional "Porterhouse College" appears in many of his novels.
- Susanna Gregory wrote a series of novels set in 14th century Cambridge and featuring a teacher of medicine and sleuth named Matthew Bartholomew.
- Douglas Adams was at one time a resident of Cambridge, and parts of his novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency are set in the city. This novel was partially reworked from his unbroadcast Doctor Who serial Shada, which also included scenes in Cambridge. The television serial Shada was filmed in Cambridge, but was never finished due to strike action.
- Sylvia Plath, who studied at the University of Cambridge, wrote a number of short stories with a Cambridge setting which are published in the collection Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams.
- Dame Rose Macaulay had strong connections to the city, and set part of her novel They Were Defeated in the city during the reign of Charles I.
- Kate Atkinson used the town as the setting for her book Case Histories.
- Michelle Spring wrote a series of novels about a Cambridge-based private detective, Laura Principal, beginning with Every Breath You Take (1994).
- Rebecca Stott's Ghostwalk (2007) is set in the Cambridge of today and of Sir Isaac Newton's time.
- Robert Harris's "Enigma" was partly set in Cambridge, when the leading character, Thomas Jericho, was sent to King's College to recover from a nervous break down. Much of the story describes the centre and west of Cambridge in much detail. The story itself was set in the middle of world war two. The rest of the story was set in Bletchley Park.
Music
Popular music
Most notable of the bands that formed in Cambridge are Pink Floyd, the band's former songwriter guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett was born and lived in the city. He and other founder member Roger Waters went to school together at Cambridgeshire High School for Boys and David Gilmour was also a Cambridge resident and attended the nearby Perse School. Other bands who formed in Cambridge include Henry Cow, Katrina and the Waves, The Soft Boys, Ezio and The Broken Family Band. Solo artists Boo Hewerdine and Robyn Hitchcock are from Cambridge, as are Drum and bass artists (and brothers) Nu:Tone and Logistics. Singer Olivia Newton-John and Matthew Bellamy, lead singer of rock band Muse, were born in the city. Singer-songwriter Nick Drake and Manchester music mogul Tony Wilson, the founder of Factory Records, were both educated at the University of Cambridge.
Festivals and events
- Midsummer Fair is one of the oldest fairs in the UK and at one point was possibly the largest medieval fair in Europe. Today it exists primarily as an annual funfair with the vestige of a market attached.
- Cambridge Folk Festival is one of the largest festivals of folk music in the UK
- Strawberry Fair is a free music and children's fair, with a series of market stalls. It is held the first Saturday in June on Midsummer Common.
- Cambridge Beer Festival, which began in 1974, takes place on Jesus Green for one week in May every year and offers nearly 200 different beers.
- The Cambridge Film Festival is considered to be one of the nation's best. Formerly held annually in July, it was moved in 2008 to September to avoid a clash with the rescheduled Edinburgh Film Festival.
Public services
Cambridge is served by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with several smaller medical centres around the city and a general hospital at Addenbrookes. Addenbrookes is a learning and teaching hospital, one of the largest in the United Kingdom, and functions as a centre for medical research.
Religion
Cambridge has an active Christian population and many churches, some of which form a significant part of the city's architectural landscape. A Cambridge-based family and youth organisation, Romsey Mill, had its centre re-dedicated in 2007 by the Archbishop of York, and is quoted as an example of best practice in a study into social inclusion by the East of England Regional Assembly. Cambridge falls into the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia.
Cambridge has two synagogues: an Orthodox synagogue and Jewish student centre on Thompson's Lane, operated by the Cambridge University Jewish Society, and the Beth Shalom Reform synagogue. The Abu Bakr Jamia Islamic Centre on Mawson Road serves the city's community of around 4,000 Muslims until a planned new mosque is built.. A Buddhist centre was opened in the former Barnwell Theatre on Newmarket Road in 1998. In 2005 local Hindus began fundraising to build a shrine at the Bharat Bhavan Indian cultural centre off Mill Road, where Hindu and Hare Krishna groups conduct worship. Cambridge also has a number of secular groups, such as the Cambridge Humanists.
University
Great St Mary's Church has the status of being the "University Church". Many of the University colleges contain chapels that hold services according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, while the chapel of St Edmund's College is Roman Catholic. The city also has a number of theological colleges for training clergy for ordination into a number of denominations, with affiliations to both the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University.
Twinned Cities
Cambridge is twinned with two cities. Like Cambridge, both have universities and are also similar in population.
See also
Panoramic photo gallery
External links
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