Cambridgeshire

For other uses, see Cambridgeshire (disambiguation).

Cambridgeshire
Flag of Cambridgeshire County Council
Geography
Status	Ceremonial and (smaller) non-metropolitan county
Region	East of England
Area - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 15th 3,389 km2 (1,309 sq mi) Ranked 15th 3,046 km2 (1,176 sq mi)
Admin HQ	Cambridge
ISO 3166-2	GB-CAM
ONS code	12
NUTS 3	UKH12
Demography
Population - Total () - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 28th 806,700 238 /km2 (620 /sq mi) Ranked 18th 622,200
Ethnicity	94.6% White 2.6% S.Asian
Politics
Cambridgeshire County Council http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Jonathan Djanogly (C) Julian Huppert (LD) Stewart Jackson (C) Andrew Lansley (C) Stephen Barclay (C) James Paice (C) Shailesh Vara (C)
Districts
Cambridge South Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire Fenland East Cambridgeshire Peterborough (Unitary)

Cambridgeshire (pron.: /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒʃər/ or /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒʃɪər/; also known, archaically, as the County of Cambridge; abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. The city of Cambridge is the county town. Modern Cambridgeshire was formed from the historic counties of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, together with the Isle of Ely and the Soke of Peterborough; it contains most of the region known as Silicon Fen.

Cambridgeshire is twinned with Kreis Viersen in Germany.

History

Main article: History of Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlements in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate and Balbridie.

Cambridgeshire was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Grantbridgeshire" (or rather Grentebrigescire) (cf the river Granta). Covering a large part of East Anglia, Cambridgeshire today is the result of several local government unifications. In 1888 when county councils were introduced, separate councils were set up, following the traditional division of Cambridgeshire, for

• the area in the south around Cambridge, and
• the liberty of the Isle of Ely.

In 1965, these two administrative counties were merged to form Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. Under the Local Government Act 1972 this merged with the county to the west, Huntingdon and Peterborough (which had itself been created in 1965 by the merger of Huntingdonshire with the Soke of Peterborough – previously a part of Northamptonshire which had its own county council). The resulting county was called simply Cambridgeshire.

Since 1998, the City of Peterborough has been a separately administered area, as a unitary authority, but is associated with Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes such as Lieutenancy, and functions such as policing and the fire service.

In 2002, the conservation charity Plantlife unofficially designated Cambridgeshire's county flower as the Pasqueflower.

A great quantity of archaeological finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age were made in East Cambridgeshire. Most items were found in Isleham.

The Cambridgeshire Regiment (or Fen Tigers) county based army unit fought in South Africa, WWI and WWII.

Due to its flat terrain and proximity to the continent, many airfields were built for RAF Bomber Command, RAF Fighter Command, and the USAAF during WW2. In recognition of this, the only American WW2 burial ground in England is located in Madingley Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial.

Most English counties have nicknames for their people, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nicknames for people from Cambridgeshire are 'Cambridgeshire Camel' or 'Cambridgeshire Crane', referring to the wildfowl which were once abundant in the fens. The term 'Fenners' has been applied to those who come from the flat country to the north of Cambridge; however in recent times this term is considered to be abusive and its use is now less widespread.

Original historical documents relating to Cambridgeshire are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies.

Geography

Large areas of the county are extremely low-lying and Holme Fen is notable for being the UK's lowest physical point at 2.75 m (9 ft) below sea level. The highest point is in the village of Great Chishill at 146 m (480 ft) above sea level. Other prominent hills are Little Trees Hill and Wandlebury Hill in the Gog Magog Downs, Rivey Hill above Linton, Rowley's Hill and the Madingley Hills.

Politics

Cambridgeshire contains seven Parliamentary constituencies:

Constituency	Member of Parliament
Cambridge		Julian Huppert
Huntingdon		Jonathan Djanogly
North East Cambridgeshire		Stephen Barclay
North West Cambridgeshire		Shailesh Vara
Peterborough		Stewart Jackson
South Cambridgeshire		Andrew Lansley
South East Cambridgeshire		James Paice

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Cambridgeshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of English Pounds Sterling.

Year	Regional Gross Value Added	Agriculture	Industry	Services
1995	5,896	228	1,646	4,022
2000	7,996	166	2,029	5,801
2003	10,154	207	2,195	7,752

AWG plc is based in Huntingdon. The RAF has several stations in the Huntingdon and St Ives area. RAF Waterbeach, 6 miles north of Cambridge, is a former RAF airfield, now used as an army barracks. RAF Alconbury, 3 miles north of Huntingdon, is being reorganised after a period of obsolescence following the departure of the USAF, to be the focus of RAF/USAFE intelligence operations, with activities at Upwood and Molesworth being transferred there. Most of Cambridgeshire is agricultural. Close to Cambridge is the so-called Silicon Fen area of high-technology (electronics, computing and biotechnology) companies. ARM Limited is based in Cherry Hinton.

Education

Primary and secondary

See also: List of schools in Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire has a completely comprehensive education system with 12 independent schools and over 240 state schools, not including sixth form colleges.

Some of the secondary schools act as Village Colleges, institutions unique to Cambridgeshire. For example Bottisham Village College.

Tertiary

Cambridgeshire is home to a number of institutes of higher education:

• The University of Cambridge - second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, and regarded as one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world
• Anglia Ruskin University - has a campus located in Cambridge and a base at Fulbourn
• The Open University - has a regional centre located in Cambridge
• The University Centre Peterborough - operated by Anglia Ruskin University and Peterborough Regional College, located in Peterborough
• The College of West Anglia has a campus at Milton, on the northern outskirts of Cambridge

In addition, Cambridge Regional College and Huntingdonshire Regional College both offer a limited range of higher education courses in conjunction with partner universities.

Settlements

Map of the Cambridgeshire area (1904)

These are the settlements in Cambridgeshire with a town charter, city status or a population over 5,000; for a complete list of settlements see list of places in Cambridgeshire.

• Burwell
• Cambridge
• Chatteris
• Cottenham
• Ely
• Godmanchester
• Huntingdon
• Littleport
• March
• Peterborough (no longer part of the administrative county)
• Sawston
• Sawtry
• Soham
• St Ives
• St Neots
• Wisbech
• Whittlesey
• Yaxley

The town of Newmarket is surrounded on three sides by Cambridgeshire, being connected by a narrow strip of land to the rest of Suffolk.

Cambridgeshire has seen 30,658 dwellings created from 2001-2011 and there are a further 38,681 planned new dwellings between now and 2021.

Climate

Cambridgeshire has a maritime temperate climate which is broadly similar to the rest of the United Kingdom, though it is drier than the UK average due to its low altitude and easterly location, the prevailing southwesterly winds having already deposited moisture on higher ground further west. Average winter temperatures are cooler than the English average, due to Cambridgeshire's inland location and relative nearness to continental Europe, which results in the moderating maritime influence being less strong. Snowfall is slightly more common than in western areas, due to the relative winter coolness and easterly winds bringing occasional snow from the North Sea. In summer temperatures are average or slightly above, due to less cloud cover. It reaches 25C on around 10 days each year, and is comparable to parts of Kent and East Anglia.

Climate data for Cambridge 1971–2000 average
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	7.0 (44.6)	7.4 (45.3)	10.2 (50.4)	12.6 (54.7)	16.5 (61.7)	19.4 (66.9)	22.2 (72)	22.3 (72.1)	18.9 (66)	14.6 (58.3)	9.9 (49.8)	7.8 (46)	14.1 (57.4)
Average low °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	1.1 (34)	2.9 (37.2)	4.0 (39.2)	6.7 (44.1)	9.8 (49.6)	12.0 (53.6)	11.9 (53.4)	10.1 (50.2)	7.1 (44.8)	3.7 (38.7)	2.3 (36.1)	6.1 (43)
Rainfall mm (inches)	45.0 (1.772)	32.7 (1.287)	41.5 (1.634)	43.1 (1.697)	44.5 (1.752)	53.8 (2.118)	38.2 (1.504)	48.8 (1.921)	51.0 (2.008)	53.8 (2.118)	51.1 (2.012)	50.0 (1.969)	553.5 (21.791)
Source: Met Office

Culture

Sports

Cambridgeshire is the birthplace of bandy,^{[citation needed]} now an IOC accepted sport. According to documents from 1813 Bury Fen Bandy Club was undefeated for 100 years. A member of the club, Charles Tebbutt, wrote down the first official rules in 1882.^{[citation needed]} Tebbutt was instrumental in spreading the sport to many countries. Bandy Federation of England is based in Cambridgeshire.[1]

Contemporary Art

Cambridge is home to the Kettle's Yard gallery and the artist run Aid and Abet project Space. Nine miles west of Cambridge next to the village of Bourn is Wysing Arts Centre.

Places of interest

Anglesey Abbey Brampton Wood Buckden Towers Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial Cambridge University Museum of Zoology Castor Hanglands NNR Denny Abbey Devil's Dyke Down Field Windmill Duxford Chapel Duxford Airfield Elton Hall Ely Cathedral Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Flag Fen Fowlmere RSPB reserve Gamsey Wood Nature Reserve Gog Magog Downs Grafham Water Nature Reserve Great Gransden Post Mill Hereward Way Hinchingbrooke House Houghton Mill Icknield Way Imperial War Museum Duxford Kettle's Yard Kimbolton Castle Kings College, Cambridge Lattersey Nature Reserve

Lode Watermill Nene Park Nene Valley Railway Nene Way New Bedford River Octavia Hill Birthplace Museum Old Bedford River Ouse Valley Way Ouse Washes Parker's Piece, Cambridge, birthplace of modern football Paxton Pits Nature Reserve Peckover House & Garden Peterborough Cathedral Prickwillow Drainage Engine Museum Ramsey Abbey River Cam River Great Ouse Round Church, Cambridge RSPB Nene Washes RSPB Ouse Washes Stretham Old Engine Three Shires Bridleway University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Wandlebury Country Park Wicken Fen Wimpole Hall Wisbech and March Bramley Line WWT Welney Wysing Arts Centre

Famous people from Cambridgeshire

As well as those born in the county there are many notable people from, or associated with, Cambridgeshire who moved there, particularly due to the presence of Cambridge University.

Cambridgeshire lays claim to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, Prime Minister John Major, businessmen Henry Royce and Peter Boizot, social reformers Octavia Hill and Thomas Clarkson, and economist John Maynard Keynes. Scientists include Brian J. Ford and Stephen Hawking, and Nobel laureate Harold Kroto. Literary figures who hail from Cambridgeshire include John Clare, Samuel Pepys, Lucy M. Boston, Jeffrey Archer, and Douglas Adams, Olaudah Equiano.

In entertainment, cartoonist Ronald Searle, comedian Rory McGrath, television presenter Sarah Cawood, and radio sports presenter Adrian Durham are all from Cambridgeshire. Paul Nicholas, Richard Attenborough, Jeremy Irvine and Warwick Davis are all associated with film, while musicians include Andrew Eldritch, lead singer of The Sisters of Mercy; Andy Bell, lead singer for Erasure; David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett of Pink Floyd; Don Airey, keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple; trombonist Don Lusher; Keith Palmer, of dance music band The Prodigy; Nigel Sixsmith, founding member of The Art Of Sound and well known Keytar player; singer Aston Merrygold of JLS; the members of Britain's Got Talent Popera band The Arrangement; Matt Bellamy and Operatic Bass-Baritone, Darren Jeffery. Athletes Joe Bugner, Sir Jack Hobbs, Louis Smith and Marty Scurll are also from the county. Richard Garriott, televangelist Peter Foxhall, and Hereward the Wake are from Cambridgeshire.

See also

• List of Lord Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire
• List of High sheriffs of Cambridgeshire
• Custos Rotulorum of Cambridgeshire - Keepers of the Rolls for Cambridgeshire
• Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency) - Historical list of MPs for Cambridgeshire constituency
• Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
• Cambridgeshire local elections

External links

• Cambridgeshire County Council
• Local News for Cambridgeshire
• Cambridgeshire.net community directory
• The Fens of North Cambridgeshire
• Cambridge Market Place Webcam
• Cambridgeshire Family History Society
• The Cambridge Time Traveller Group History Website.
• Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network.
• Cambridgeshire Churches website.
• Cambridgeshire at the Open Directory Project
• Images of Cambridgeshire at the National Monuments Record, English Heritage