Christ's Pieces

Christ's Pieces is Victorian park in the east of central Cambridge, England, with flower beds and ornamental trees.[1][2] The area acts as an important publicly accessible open grassed area for the city centre. It is located to the east of Christ's College and to the north of Emmanuel College. To the north is King Street, to the east is Emmanuel Road, to the south is Drummer Street, and to the west is Milton's Walk.

The park is used by pedestrians walking between the centre of the city and the Grafton Centre (a shopping centre).[2] In good weather, it is often used as a place for lunch outside as well. There are tennis courts at the northwest corner of Christ's Pieces and a bowling green in the southeast corner. The main central Cambridge Bus Station is north off Drummer Street on the southern edge of Christ's Piece near the southwest corner.

There is a Christ's Pieces Residents Association (CPRA) for local residents and others interested in maintaining the character of the surrounding area.[3]

History

Previously, the area was used for agricultural purposes. For example, it is shown to have a cereal crop on a 1574 map.[1] Later it become pasture land.[2] Milton's Walk was a medieval lane, called "Christes Colledge Walke" in 1574.

Milton's Walk is named after the poet John Milton (1608–74), who was an undergraduate at Christ's College.[4] It marks the boundary of the college with Christ's Pieces. Note the Milton Road, also in Cambridge, is named after the village of Milton rather than the poet.

In 1886, the area was acquired from Jesus College by the Corporation of Cambridge for the sum of £1,000. The Corporation drained the land and created the park much as it is now, although a proposed artificial lake was never created and the bandstand no longer exists.

More recently Christ's Pieces has become more of an area of land for social gatherings, being especially popular with teenagers who group around the Princess Diana memorial. Within the local police force it is well-known as hosting regular underage drug or alcohol abuse, however this problem is on it way to being tackled.

Gallery

360° Panorama of Christ's Pieces.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Christ's Pieces, Cambridge City Council, England.
  2. ^ a b c Allan Brigham, Christ's Pieces: A year on a Cambridge park in pictures.
  3. ^ Christ's Pieces Residents Association.
  4. ^ Ronald D. Gray and Derek Stubbings, Cambridge Street-names: Their origins and association, Cambridge University Press, 2000. ISBN 0521789567, ISBN 9780521789561. Page 45.