Cambridge in 14,884 Steps

There are so many things I want to share about this day. But first, let's begin with coffee and an introduction.

Our morning began where many mornings have began since 1897 when Mrs. Stevenson, who lived in Orchard House and usually served tea and cakes in her front room or if it was a nice day in the garden of her home, was asked by a group of Cambridge students if she would serve them beneath the blossoming fruit trees of her orchard. The students enjoyed their rural tea unaware that they had started a great Cambridge tradition, for soon The Orchard became a popular ‘up-river resort’ well-known to Varsity men.

One of their guests is Rupert Brooke, an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier. He was also known for his boyish good looks, which were said to have prompted the Irish poet W. B. Yeats to describe him as "the handsomest young man in England".

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;

A body of England’s, breathing English air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

Rupert was the center of a remarkable group of friends who provided a constant stream of visitors to The Orchard, including Virginia Woolf (novelist), Bertrand Russell (philosopher), Ludwig Wittgenstein (philosopher), E.M. Forster (novelist), John Maynard Keynes (economist), and Augustus John (artist). So bohemian was their lifestyle that Virginia Woolf would later dub Brooke, and his back-to-nature friends, as “the Neo-Pagans.” When in London, some of this group were part of the highly influential Bloomsbury Set. Oh to have had coffee with this collection of brilliants!

After fueling up, we strolled along the River Cam.

We stopped along the way to ogle this beautiful church.

The oldest part of the Church of St Andrew and St Mary dates back to the 12th century.

So many of the wooden pews, in numerous churches, have these unique handmade seat cushions.

Either placed on the seat or hung on the back of church pews, abbeys, priories and cathedrals across Britain are hundreds of church kneelers; rows and rows of tiny needlework canvases depicting everything from bell ringing to stone circles. Sometimes they’re referred to as hassocks or cushions, but they generally conform to the same shape and size, and usually they use either tent or cross stitch. Their primary purpose is of course a practical one, they are to cushion knees when kneeling for prayer. They also show, for me, a dedication and a desire to provide comfort. I find them absolutely amazing.

I loved passing by Skaters' Meadow, a 5-acre nature reserve which takes its name from times in the 19th century, when it would flood and freeze and the public would then be charged to skate, in the evening, around the gas lamp that still stands in the middle. Can't you just picture it?

Grantchester Meadows are 50 acres of meadow, hedge and trees on the western bank of the River Cam between Cambridge and the historic village of Grantchester. These meadows have been enjoyed for over a century for walking, picnicking, punting, swimming and nature and the scenery. They were enjoyed by the Bloomsbury Group in the first half of the 20th century and also feature in the poem Watercolor Of Grantchester Meadows by Sylvia Plath and a 1969 song by Pink Floyd.

Our destination was Cambridge, home of the internationally known University of Cambridge. Cambridge received its first charter in 1207; the uninterrupted existence of public officers in the city since the Middle Ages is noteworthy. It also has an interesting guild history, Corpus Christi College having been founded by guilds in 1352.

Modern Cambridge has been described as “perhaps the only true university town in England.” University and college buildings provide nearly all the outstanding architectural features. The beauty of the city is enhanced by many commons and other open spaces.

My personal goal was to get to The Eagle, which opened in 1667 as a coaching inn. It is the second oldest pub in Cambridge. Can you just imagine who drank here in the last 358 years?

During the Second World War, Allied airmen, who drank and socialized at The Eagle, used wax candles, petrol lighters and lipstick to write their names, squadron numbers and other doodles onto the ceiling of the rear bar. The tradition is believed to have been started by RAF Flight Sergeant P. E. Turner, who climbed up on the table one night to burn his squadron number on the ceiling. The graffiti, in what is now known as the "RAF Bar", was uncovered, deciphered and preserved by former RAF Chief Technician James Chainey during the early 1990s. What history!

So why did I want to come here? My big brother, Chuck, a retired USN aviator, has signed the wall of the RAF bar and I just wanted a photo of the two of us together there. What fun!

I appreciated this message on the door, "We have poured pints since 1667 in gratitude for our patrons' achievements. From Watson and Crick, who celebrated their discovery of D.N.A. here, to the hundreds of World War II RAF pilots who left behind a bar full of messages in the hope that they would never be forgotten."

And about that announcement of the discovery of the structure of DNA, when the University's Cavendish Laboratory was still at its old site at nearby, the pub was a popular lunch destination for staff working there. Thus, it became the place where Francis Crick interrupted patrons' lunchtime on 28 February 1953 to announce that he and James Watson had "discovered the secret of life" after they had come up with their proposal for the structure of DNA. The anecdote is related in Watson's book The Double Helix, and is commemorated on this blue plaque next to the entrance. Inside the pub, a descriptive card is available which also gives a shoutout to Rosalind Franklin, PhD, the brilliant and trailblazing scientist whose Photo 51 revealed the double helix of DNA — a discovery that was essential in unlocking the mystery to how life is passed down from generation to generation.

St Bene’t’s (1020) building is the oldest in Cambridge, and the tradition of prayer and worship here goes back a millennium. Wow.

An interesting oddity that demands a further study is The Corpus Clock created by inventor & Corpus alumnus Dr John C Taylor OBE, inventor of the bimetallic thermostat control present in electric kettles and much more! John is also an horologist. Atop the wheel sits the Chronophage (time eater). The mouth opens at 30 seconds past each minute, snapping shut when the minute is over. It is an example of the grasshopper escapement mechanism invented in the 1700s by John Harrison, who also invented the marine chronometer that enabled sailors to determine longitude. An escapement is a mechanical linkage that checks and releases a clock’s gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands. The Corpus clock is believed to be the largest grasshopper escapement of any clock in the world. The escapement wheel is made from a single sheet of steel, plated in gold, created by a series of explosions in a vacuum. The radiating ripples that this creates allude to the Big Bang. When the hour is struck, there is no chiming of bells, but rather the rustling of chains and the sound of a hammer striking a wooden coffin — perhaps a little off-putting for those studying in the library behind the clock! The clock has no hands or digital numbers; instead vernier slits are cut into the face. Three blue LED wheels (2,736 LEDs) are arranged behind the slits so that when the escape wheel moves, lights appear to dart in concentric circles and pause at the correct hour, minute and second. So although the lights give the illusion of flashing in sequence, they are actually exposed mechanically. However, this clock plays tricks (50 of them): our perception of time is always altered by what is going on around us, and the clock's trickery adds to that. Oh there is so much more!

We learned so much just by reading plaques. Dr. Cunningham was the first dentist that really encouraged keeping one's teeth. He was especially dedicated to children's dental health.

We even learned about Cambridge University Press. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world.

There is just so much to see here. King’s College Chapel (1446–1515), the best-known building in Cambridge, was designed by Henry VI as part of an immense and never fully realized conception. Great buttresses, lofty spires and turrets, a high vaulted roof, heraldic devices, and magnificent stained-glass windows are among the notable features of the chapel.

The start of the university is generally taken as 1209, when scholars from Oxford migrated to Cambridge to escape Oxford’s riots of “town and gown” (townspeople versus scholars). To avert possible hostilities between students and townspeople, only scholars under the supervision of a master were allowed to remain in Cambridge by order of Henry III. It was partly to provide an orderly place of residence that (in emulation of Oxford) the first college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, bishop of Ely. Over the next three centuries another 15 colleges were founded, and in 1318 Cambridge received formal recognition as a studium generale (a medieval school for advanced study) from Pope John XXII.

Lunch was at The Orator, with music in the courtyard. It was absolutely perfect.

This historic church was modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Round Church was built by crusaders in the 12th century and has been a city landmark long before the formation of the university.

A day's explore of Cambridge doesn't even scratch the surface of this diverse, historic, and incredible place.

While walking about, I was on a scavenger hunt to find this Royal Mailbox. Adorned with the initials VR (a royal cypher), I knew this one was special. The custom of including a royal cypher on letter boxes dates back to the very earliest roadside boxes from the reign of Queen Victoria. VR – which stands for Victoria Regina. Regina is Queen in Latin. Since her reign lasted from June 20, 1837, to January 22, 1901, a period of 63 years, 7 months, and 2 days, there are many mailboxes adorned with VR yet this was the only one I've found so far.

Each day with Ian and Eileen is one filled with great walks, incredible history, and wonderful company. I wish we were staying longer. Next time!

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HAERR TRIPPIN'

Cambridge in 14,884 Steps

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