Talk:Cambridge

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On the project page you can find detailed guides on how to write about counties and settlements, as well as where to find statistics, references and other useful things. Additionally, the following has been identified as specific improvements this article needs: Cite sources - this is all the article needs before it passes WP:GA. Turn lists into prose, and combine single sentence paragraphs where possible. We don't need a new section for every paragraph. Sections 7-11 would fit nicely in a "Culture" section. Is mode of transport really the best way to divide the transport section? I prefer dividing transport into local and (inter)national. Transport can include stats such as how people travel to work and the city's rank in things like cycling and congestion.

I was surprised by this comment from 81.6.229.151

21:15, 4 Dec 2003 . . 81.6.229.151 (picture deleted.....does not give the college justice. Put a better photo in next time!!)

I'd love to know in what sense the picture of King's College was unsuitable. It seems to me to have been better than the one added later, further down the page!

It's not worth arguing over, but I was puzzled! Chris Jefferies 23:29, 3 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I agree with Chris Jefferies that there was no reason to remove that photo. The view of King's College from the Backs is widely held as the iconic view of Cambridge, as evidenced by the photo and the logo on the home page of the City Council. If the particular photo is not considered pretty enough and someone can provide a better one of the same scene which is usable under copyright restrictions, then fine, let's use it instead. Meanwhile I will restore the old one (assuming the Wiki lets me get that far -- it's being excruciatingly slow at the moment). --Trainspotter 15:06, 6 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Well it has taken a while, but here is a new image. -- Solipsist 07:11, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Contents 1 Cambridge city centre 2 Punting 3 Avoidance Maneuvers 3.1 Touting Banned 4 Market Hill 5 Cycling 6 Typo 7 How far from London 8 Skyline of Cambridge 9 Smoking 10 King George's field 11 Notable Residents 12 This should be a dab 13 Festivals and events 14 A14 talking point

[edit] Cambridge city centre

On a less savoury note, a study done in 2004 named Cambridge city centre (postcode CB2 1)...

Cambridge city centre isn't just CB2, though; CB1-4 meet in a pie-like formation in the centre. Marnanel 00:18, 18 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Actually, Midsummer Common is CB5, so it's CB1-5... - JVG 11:49, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Punting

No mention of punting here, which is a classic cambridge activity. Surely someone can pen a few words? "Working people as well as students (or "town and gown") both enjoy "punting" on the Cam, an activity where a flat-bottomed wooden boat (the punt) is propelled by pushing with a pole on the bottom of the river. There is a definite nack to this means of travel, and watching the many tourists attempting it is very entertaining. In recent years a highly profitable business has started up, with "punt touts" selling tickets for punt tours of the backs of the colleges, with a guide to push the boat and explain the sights. The touting can be very repetitive and persistent, and has led to complaints publicised in the local and national media. Prices are negotiable."

Hi - You are right. There is actually an article on punting that mentions the Cam, but there should be a link from here. What you have there look fine to me, so be bold and put it in the article. Any further tips on how to hack your way past the 'punt pimps' would be good too. -- Solipsist 10:43, 20 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Avoidance Maneuvers

When one is traveling through Cambridge, you are sure to run into one the many 'punting pimps.' These are the young men and women who try to solicit punting tours to visitors. There are several ways to rid yourself of these reoccurring disturbances, and they are as follows:

1. Be Rude. Very few people can handle a rude tourist, and if you tell one of these map toting, flat hat wearing fellows to "shove off!" You are not likely to get bothered by any him/her, or any of their comrades within earshot.
2. Be Fast. When you see one of the sharks lock you in their gaze, pick up the pace. They can't talk to you if they can't catch you.
3. Be Comical. If you have several minutes to burn pretend to be hard of hearing, and misquote them every time they open their mouth. You can even try to act like you don't speak English. Cambridge has visitors from all over the world, simply mutter some gibberish under your breath and point at them with a confused grin on your face. They'll get the picture very quickly.
4. Be Honest. Simply tell them 'no,' and keep moving.
5. Go Incognito. These people are highly trained in the art of spotting tourists. If you can at any point, do not carry all 25 of your cameras around your neck and point at every tourist attraction in the city. This is also a good skill to use when wanting to avoid pickpockets and the likes.
6. Be Firm. No matter how you choose to go about ridding yourself of these persistent panhandlers, be firm and confident in your decision.

[edit] Touting Banned

The touts have now (or are about to be) banned by a Cambridge bylaw. Excellent! --Ceramic 07:02, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Market Hill

The square in the picture of the market (originally captioned "Market Square") is actually called Market Hill. "Hill" in this context referring to a open space -- a peculiar local term derived from an Anglo-Saxon word (I think). Can anyone confirm the origin of the term?

Good call. The naming was my mistake. -- Solipsist 07:10, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

There's a book on Hobson's Conduit which gives this derivation of the word "Hill" (as an open space) in Cambridge streetnames. Another theory is that they literally were hills - areas of the town that were not liable to flooding in Saxon times. If you look at the locations of the old Saxon Churches, you will see that they tend to congregate on a ridge of land following Trumpington Street, where these hillocks were supposedly located. -- Bluap 11:54, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Cycling

I've got to ask - which woods and Roman Roads is it recommended to cycle on? And should this information be in Wikipedia - it's not a tourist guide...

[edit] Typo

At the end of the History section is a sentence beginning "The University use a pseudo-Latin adjective cantabrigiensis..." Was that supposed to be "The University uses" or "The Universities use"?

Probably "the University uses" - JVG, from Cambridge 11:12, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Fixed. Stephen Turner 11:56, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] How far from London

Someone's changed it from 50 to 60 miles. I can say with reasonable certainty that the distance sign at the top of the M11 (near Junction 14, on the north-west fringe of Cambridge) gives a distance of 59 miles, but that includes all the turns the motorway makes, including a notable swing around Cambridge to it's south to meet the A11. The distance is probably about 55 miles (88.5km) from centre to centre, but can someone please check the distance "as the crow flies" - JVG 11:27, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Of course it depends where you think the centre of London is, but it's 49.8 miles from Christ's to Hyde Park Corner. I'll change it back. Stephen Turner 11:54, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

To be honest, I'm not sure it is that important, but in any case distances in the UK are typically measured to the Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross (see Milestone). I can't give you the as-the-crow-flies distance (we have the coordinates for each location so someone should be able to calculate the geodesic), however using the shortest road route calculated by Multimap gives a distance of 59.3 miles. It looks fairly direct, so I doubt a crow would be able to shave more than a few percent less, so 60 miles seems a better rule of thumb than 50. -- Solipsist 12:06, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

From the front of Christ's to TQ302804 is 49.4 miles. (You'll be telling me it should be Great St Mary's next...). Stephen Turner 12:25, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Hmmm, well come to think of it, that's where it does get more interesting. I used CB2 1AA which often gets taken as the centre of Cambridge, but actually appears to be on Regent Street. However, distances in Cambridge should indeed be measured from the west door of Great St Mary's Church (TL447585 apparently) on King's parade (as mentioned in the caption of the picture in the article) — I think the church is cited as a datum point in some University statutes. In 1725 William Warren from Trinity Hall errected the first milestones in Britain since the Romans left, starting at Great St Mary's and heading down Trumpington Road. There is a plaque on the side of the church and you can also find the first milestone opposite the end of Brooklands Avenue on Trumpington Road (for more see milestonesweb.com). ...well, you did ask :) -- Solipsist 14:39, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Then somewhere in Hertfordshire one of Dr Warren's milestones gives 37 m to London and 14 m to Cambridge, so yes 50 miles seems like the best bet, even for road distances. -- Solipsist 14:55, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Probably... 50 miles sounds about right. - JVG 14:11, 5 October 2005 (UTC)::::

[edit] Skyline of Cambridge

What about the Catholic Church? (Sorry I can't remember its proper name)It's one of the tallest buildings in the centre of Cambridge. Carter Bridge is also tall enough to merit lights on at night.

--Two Tone 17:41, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

It's called Our Lady & the English Martyrs, or OLEM or just the Catholic Church for short. However I don't know what Carter Bridge is. Ben Finn 18:53, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

Carter Bridge is the red cycle bridge by the station. Stephen Turner (Talk) 20:38, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, and I could be wrong, only the chimney of Addenbrookes is taller than the Catholic church. - JVG 11:56, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Smoking

I have removed the following text:

A study by the consultancy firm CACI in 2004 named the postcode area
CB2 1, part of Cambridge city centre, as the "smoking capital" of the UK, as the
average resident in this area apparently spent more money on cigarettes than
those of any other region in the country, over 2 thousand
pounds per annum. The area is home to several of the
university's colleges, including Clare,
King's, Corpus Christi
and Trinity.

Let's face it - this text isn't particularly encyclopedic (and could easily be the result of dodgy statistics) Bluap 00:01, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

probably right - I'm sure I've read the same statistic about half a dozen other places(Tyne and Wear, Glasgow). Mammal4 17:29, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] King George's field

Where in Cambridge is the King George's field? It's not one I have ever heard of. Perhaps it's one of the college playing fields? --VinceBowdren 22:37, 2 July 2006 (UTC) P.S. The List_of_King_George_V_Playing_Fields_(Cambridgeshire) page will also need updating when we do find it.

According to the map o the second page of [1] it is the playing fields in the centre of Byron Square, Trumpingdon. Bluap 16:52, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Notable Residents

I was hoping I could somehow get "radio guy" in notable residents, does anyone know his name? If you're from near Cambridge you should know who I'm talking about. He's a guy that's always biking around near the fudge kitchen and near the market with a radio on full blast, he always goes in circles, never get anywhere and his batteries never run out. anyone know who i mean? :p

KJ

Yeah, I know who you mean, but unless, say, the CEN wrote a story about him, it would be hard to find verifiable sources or to add him without doing original research. --Grouse 13:51, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Even if the CEN wrote a story about him, he still wouldn't be notable enough for inclusion in the article. Bluap 16:42, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Agree - definitley not notable enough. Maybe he powers the stereo from a dynamo on the bike, and thats why he keepscycling in circles? Mammal4 17:31, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] This should be a dab

I think Cambridge, Massachusetts is equally notable as Cambridge, England, and that this article should be a disambiguation page. Cambridge, MA has as many people as Cambridge, England, and it is the home of Harvard University and MIT, which are two of the top schools in the US and are well known to people in other countries. I know that this is the original Cambridge, but I don't think that an article's precedence should be judged on chronology. Rather, it should be based on notability, which is why I think this should be a disambiguation page. I'm not advocating this for every British city that has an equivalent city in the US - just when they seem to have equal notability, as is the case here (and with Worcester, see Talk:Worcester). --Schzmo 02:43, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't think the criterion for a separate disambiguation page is notability, but "When a reader enters this term and pushes "Go", what article would they realistically be expecting to view as a result." In most of the world, when people say "Cambridge" they mean the one in the UK. From my experiences in the U.S., in the northeast people might expect "Cambridge" to mean Cambridge, MA, but in the rest of the country an unqualified Cambridge is just as likely to mean the original Cambridge.--Grouse 06:52, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

OK, I can't disagree with you. Maybe it is because Harvard and MIT do not bear the name of "Cambridge" so people in other parts of the world would not know exactly where they are located. But in any case, I think there should be a link to Cambridge, Massachusetts along with the disambiguation page. --Schzmo 11:13, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Although I'm with you on Worcester, I got to disagree here. Maybe it's because the name of the university in England is also "Cambridge", but this is definitely the most well-known Cambridge to me. I hear/see Harvard and MIT attributed to Boston (as in the metro area) just as much as Cambridge. Kirjtc2 15:03, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

This one should definitely stay. The number of people in Cambridge, MA is not relevant, but how well known the place is. JPD (talk) 17:21, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Festivals and events

This section on festivals and events seemed a bit thin to me. Although Wikipedia is not an events guide, I thought perhaps this section didn't give a full idea of the events in the city. I was proposing to add:

• Lent bumps
• May bumps
• Town bumps
• The Big Weekend
• Comedy Marquee
• Pink Festival

with a short description as per the other events. I was using the rough criteria that they are large, public, well-attended annual events that have been running for a number of years.

Not sure about adding London to Cambridge Bike Ride and Chariots of Fire run, probably not.

So I'm inviting comments on this. Rich257 20:49, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

It's hard for me to think that the last three mentioned are notable enough for inclusion. Personally I have never heard of the Pink Festival outside of previous efforts to include it here. --Grouse 22:04, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

It's debatable; certainly the bumps are significant events in Cambridge life, but they're mostly a university thing (and so deserve their existing mention in the university article more than they deserve one here). Rather than in the festivals section, rowing probably deserves a mention in the sport section - I believe (though don't have a referenceto hand) that participatory non-university rowing is unusually popular in Cambridge, even compared to similarly-sized cities with an equally suitable river. --VinceBowdren 23:47, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

Really I think that the events section should be limited to events that Cambridge is particularly noted for, or that are unique to Cambridge. On that basis, the beer festival is already a bit dubious (CAMRA holds similar events all over the country). Apart from the bumps, I don't think any of the events listed above would make the grade. Surely the Comedy Marquee is considerably significant than the summer outdoor Shakespere festivals - and those are really just a long running commercial theatre.

The bumps are perhaps significant but probably ought to be mentioned in the sport section with a general expansion about rowing. We've already got quite a few articles on Bump (rowing) and related May Bumps, Lent Bumps and individual annual results articles. City rowing is indeed relatively popular. The Town Bumps follow the May Bumps by a week or two and have a similar number of teams competing. In fact it would be worth checking to see whether we haven't already had information on this that has been inadvertantly deleted. -- Solipsist 13:39, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] A14 talking point

The article contains an opinion that sounds like a Cambridge Evening News talking point

"The A14 is considered by many local people to be dangerous, and unnecessarily congested. This is particularly true of the section between Huntingdon and Cambridge where the east-west traffic is merged with the A1 to M11 north-south traffic on just a 2-lane dual carriageway."

That section has a dense flow of traffic for a non-urban route, but you are taking a subjective viewpoint if you talk it up to include words like "dangerous". The A14 is still pretty much a full speed route unless blocked by an accident on one particular day - compare very congested roads like the M25 or motorways around Birmingham. In the context, the statement reads like a warning to avoid the A when travelling to Cambridge, and that isn't good advice.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.101.138.244 (talk • contribs).

It also uses weasel words. Feel free to change it to something better. Grouse 23:14, 8 November 2006 (UTC)