Cambridge: Misjudging a book by its Cover

Sai Prateek Narayan

ARC561: Survey of British Architecture

Professor Richard Tames | Professor David Thompson

12 December 2013

Cambridge – Misjudging a book by its Cover

I believe that Cambridge would be an ideal location to take a visitor to, on their first visit to England. Apart from London, Cambridge is an extremely iconic city where one can most easily notice the beauty in traditional English architecture, as well as be surrounded by the tranquil and serenity provided by a natural environment. The fact that the city of Cambridge has been discovered as a former settlement for the Romans as well as Vikings further strengthens its position as an ideal representative for England’s most historic cities. Within this beautiful city resided some of the world’s most acclaimed individuals, such as Charles Darwin and Sylvia Plath. Cambridge is a location for both observing England in its former glory, as well as maintaining the element of a calm and soothing environment.

It is fantastic to know that despite the traditional and landmark appearance of the city, Cambridge in its present day is known as the centre for high-end technological development. Cavendish Laboratories is one of the most well renowned centres for technological development in the realms of Nuclear Physics and Biology. Opened in 1874 with the foremost goal to be used for academic purposes, the Cavendish laboratory was actually known to be one of the areas where research on the atomic bomb took place, as well as the proclamation leading to the creation of Plutonium and Neptunium. It is fantastic to discern that with the historic appearance, Cambridge is one of the cities known for technological development in its most recent form; a true example of the noted phrase, “Judging a book by its cover”.

While it goes without saying that King’s College Chapel is a distinguished site to make a note of when in Cambridge, The Ely Cathedral not far from the University of Cambridge does not stand any lower in beauty. Built from local stone materials, this Gothic Romanesque Cathedral was built over nine hundred years ago, and has occurred several restoration projects, including ones by James Essex and George Gilbert Scott. Designed as a traditional cathedral with a cruciform plan, what stands out with this cathedral is the additional transept built perpendicular to the nave. The way a cathedral of this splendor and magnificence stands apart from the rest of the surrounding context clearly depicts how this town was built around it. In order for the Benedictine monks at Ely to glorify the God they worshipped, a church of this stature had to be constructed, keeping in mind that nothing in its surrounding could be of similar grandeur.

Another icon of Cambridge that reinforces the idea that Cambridge should be considered as an ideal location to represent the traditional England is The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is an Anglican church built in the early 12^th century, as well as one of the four remaining medieval round churches of England that is still in use. Built on this site as a stop along the old Roman roads, and influenced by the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, this church is similar in its structure – a round nave and ambulatory with a short chancel built of stone in the Norman Style. However, after restoration in the mid 20^th century, this church was modified to portray an air of gothic revival. Unfortunately, due to its miniature demeanor, this church had to extend its congregation to the church of St. Andrew the Great located nearby.

With such indicators of buildings predating to the years of Vikings, Romans and Normans, Cambridge does prove to be a mark for British history. However, the fact that it does not constantly dwell on the past and proclaim itself as the location for some of the world’s most fundamental technological development is impactful, unquestionably corroborating the phrase that one cannot judge a book by its cover.