Midsummer Common
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Midsummer Common is an area of common land in central Cambridge, UK. The Cambridge Midsummer Fair held on the common 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.
The common borders the River Cam, houseboats are typically moored on the common's bank and many college's boathouses are located on the opposite bank.
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[edit] Events
Regular major events held on the common include:
- The May Day Fair
- Strawberry Fair
- Annual fireworks on Bonfire Night November the 5th, which attracted 25,000 people in 2006 [1]
Other events include fun runs and cycling events where the common is used as a start / finish point.
A vigil and lantern floating ceremony took place on the common on Hiroshima Memorial Day in 2006.
A charter made in 1211 by King John formalised the holding of an annual Fair in the area of the Common - continuing downstream towards Stourbridge Common - the streets names in between bear names which reflect the trades and attractions which were located on those sites during the fair.
In 1505 the administration of the fair was transferred to the town Corporation. In 1585 Queen Elizabeth issued a charter for Sturbridge Fair in 1589.
[edit] Grazing
As of 2007 there have not been cattle on the common for a number of years. Cambridge Vet, Angelika Von Heimendahl, plans to make use of the right that she like all Cambridge residents has to graze cattle on the Common. In spring 2007 she will purchase and manage a small herd of around eight Red Poll cattle, a breed chosen for their historical association with the local area and the fact they are suited to the wet riverside grassland.
The grazing of cows on the common is controversial, given the extent of other uses to which the common is put which may conflict with grazing.
[edit] Designation as a Common
Midsummer Common is registered pursuant to the provisions of the Commons Registration Act 1965.
Over time the common has become less like a typical British common and more like an area of city parkland. Street lighting and many tarmac paths are present on the common and it has become a major route for those cycling and walking into work in the town from the surrounding expanding residential areas.
Cambridge City Council use the term park when describing the common:
Midsummer Common is classified as a Common located in an urban landscape in the centre of the city. The landscape setting affords the park opportunities to host large events in a variety of formats and scale. [2]
Jesus Green was separated from Midsummer Common in 1890 when Victoria Avenue was built, Jesus Green has since clearly become a park, and is no longer maintained in a state suitable for grazing.
In 1930 Jesus College exchanged land currently between the cutter ferry bridge and Elizabeth way for part of Butt's Green on the Jesus College side of Victoria Avenue.
[edit] Butt's Green
Butt's Green is an area which historically was used for archery butts, it is now essentially part of Midsummer common. The Butt's Green area is less disturbed by events than the other areas and tends to have a wider diversity of plant life.
[edit] Antisocial Behaviour
Midsummer Common, along with wide swathes of Cambridge City, has been a designated area under Section 20 Subsections (3) to (5) of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. During much of Winter 2006/7 this order only applied in the evenings and apparently applied to the whole common; as of February 2007 a new authorization which was brought into force on the 3rd of January 2006 and lasting for six months was publicised, this only applied to the boundary path, and one corner of the common.
Bizarrely the area of the common designated under the act does not include the public toilets or the area in which half of the City's redepolyable CCTV cameras have been deployed within 100m of each other.
Quote from the order made by Superintendent Simon Megikcs
I give this order with the consent of the Cambridge City Council on the grounds that despite interventions to curb significant and persistent antisocial behaviour caused by groups of persons collecting and settling in the local area such problems persist. This has led members of the local business community to feel intimidated and harassed. Conduct of persons includes street drinking and rowdy behaviour verbally abusing and intimidating passers by, urinating in the street, allowing dogs to run off their leads, drug misuse in public toilets rough sleeping and aggressive begging and street drug misuse and purchase leading to an influx of street dealers
This applies to a large area of Cambridge including Mill Road, Parker's Piece, Christ's Pieces, Midsummer Common, Brunswick Gardens and Riverside.
The notice state that the order has been made with the consent of the City Council. Past practice suggests that this would have been given by a "Leader’s decision". Council policy states that such decisions must be reported to [party] Group Leaders immediately and to the next available meeting of the Scrutiny Committee - no such decision was brought to the Scrutiny meeting on 10th January 2007. [3]
[edit] Designated Public Places Order
Cambridge City Council believe that a Designated Public Places Order cannot be applied to the common, such an order might be a more appriopriate manner of dealing with alcohol related anti-social behaviour on the common.
The Council are applying for open-ended “premises licenses” for the whole extent of the open spaces. Owing to what we think is an unintended quirk in the legislation, DPPO controls cannot be enforced on land where a “premises license” is in force. Premises Licences are “in force” for the whole period during which they are valid, not just for periods during which alcohol is being served. This would prevent the use of DPPO powers on these open spaces and could therefore give rise to a displacement issue if DPPO controls are in force in adjoining areas. We understand that this problem has been raised with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, but do not know whether steps will be taken to address it. " [4]
[edit] Representative Associations
The friends of midsummer common are a society inaugurated in October 2006, initially made up of owners of residential property surrounding the common. Their objectives include: "to work with organisers to ensure that events have minimal impact and cause no nuisance to local residents;".
The camboaters are an association of residents on houseboats on the cam.
There is also a local resident's association known as the Brunswick & North Kite Residents Association
[edit] Armidilloos
New copper roofed public toilets were opened on the common in March 2005; the shape and texture of the roof resembles an armadillo and they have been widely nicknamed the armidilloos.
The toilets, which cost £285,000 to construct.
Drug use, leading to a death in early 2007, has occurred in the toilets.
[edit] Businesses on the Common
The Midsummer House restaurant, which currently holds 2 Michelin Stars and the Fort St. George Public house are both on the riverside on the common.
[edit] Other facts
- A major electricity main runs under the common.
- During the winter months of 2006-7 the common is a designated area under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.
- The common is often used as a marshalling point for parades and protests through the city centre.
- Midsummer common was the scene of the murder of Emma Rolfe by Robert Browning in 1876. [5]
- Cambridge's early plague victims are all under Midsummer Common.
- There has been a plan to build a car park under the common, perhaps modelled on the one under Hyde Park in London, it has not progressed beyond the discussion stage.
- In September 1931, the RAC organised an event attended by the Ministry of Transport and Scotland Yard, chief constables and scientific experts to demonstrate anti-dazzle devices for motor cars - over 100 cars were involved. [6]
[edit] References
- Friends of Midsummer Common
- Cam Conservators
- Camboaters - association of houseboat residents
- The Red Poll Cattle society
- http://www.iankitching.me.uk/history/cam/commons.html
[edit] See also
[edit] Related links
Cambridge City Council MANAGEMENT OF EVENTS ON MIDSUMMER COMMON - 16th November 2006
