---

 

 

 

Cambridge Leasing

Did You Know?

Lord Byron, the famous Romantic poet, is said to have kept a bear while he was a student at Trinity College in the 1800s. The story goes that Byron purchased this unwieldy pet from Stourbridge Fair, which ran each year in Cambridge and was the largest medieval fair in Europe at its peak.

It’s no secret that the city has been home to some of the world’s brightest minds, but did you know that a staggering 121 affiliates of the University of Cambridge have been awarded the Nobel Prize since 1904?

Did you know that Cambridge has a good claim to being the birthplace of the beautiful game? A group of students set about creating a formal set of rules to football on Parker’s Piece in 1863, creating the so-called ‘Cambridge Rules’ which would go on to inform the codes implemented by the Football Association.

Legendary rock band Pink Floyd has its roots in Cambridge, with members Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour born and raised in the city. The group paid homage to one of their favourite local spots in the song Grantchester Meadows, which featured on their Ummagumma album.

One of Cambridge’s most eye-catching pieces of public art is the Snowy Farr sculpture in the Market Square. Created by Gary Webb, it’s a memorial for Walter “Snowy” Farr MBE, an eccentric resident of the city who was known for busking and raising money for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

One of the oldest surviving buildings in Cambridge is the Leper Chapel on Newmarket Road. Also known as the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene, it dates back to the 12th century and was originally used as a place to isolate victims of leprosy.

One of Cambridge University’s most famous traditions is May Week, which actually takes place in early June. Heralding the end of the academic year, it’s a time when students enjoy lavish balls and garden parties before dispersing for the summer.

King's College Chapel plays a central role in College life, as well as being the most instantly recognizable and iconic building in Cambridge.

One of the most famous figures in English history, Oliver Cromwell, was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey, but his decapitated head is buried in the grounds of Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge. Grisly but true!

Modern-day Cambridge can trace its origins to 875AD when the Danes conquered Eastern England. The town continued to grow and develop through the Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods, before receiving its town charter in 1207.