The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. It lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns and villages. It is also at the heart of Silicon Fen, which has a reputation as the leading high-technology centre of Britain and is one of the major constituent parts of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.
The City of Cambridge is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in Britain. Situated in the quiet east of England, amid the rural countryside of Cambridgeshire. The residents, students of the University and visitors, have the best of all worlds, the combination of the romantic medieval image and an up to date city; Cambridge is beautiful, not over big and with all the amenities of a University City. Cambridge’s unique setting on the banks of the River Cam, the "backs" and the magnificent architecture of the University buildings all combine to make Cambridge the most unforgettable place, one which will linger long in your memory.
Cambridge is best known for the University of Cambridge, which includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, the King's College chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital in the far south of the city. The city's name is pronounced "Came-bridge", as opposed to another Cambridge in Gloucestershire, England, which is pronounced "Cam-bridge": as it is spelt.
The arrival of the Vikings in Cambridge was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 875. Viking rule, the Danelaw, had been imposed by 878. The Vikings' vigorous trading habits caused Cambridge to grow rapidly. During this period the centre of the town shifted from Castle Hill on the left bank of the river to the area now known as the Quayside on the right bank. After the end of the Viking period the Saxons enjoyed a brief return to power, building St. Benet's church in 1025. It still stands in Bene't Street.
Great St Mary's Church marks the centre of Cambridge, whilst the Senate House on the left is the centre of the University. Gonville and Caius College is in the background.Two years after his conquest of England, William of Normandy built a castle on Castle Hill. Like the rest of the new kingdom, Cambridge fell under the control of the King and his deputies. The distinctive Round Church dates from this period. By Norman times the name of the town had mutated to Grentabrige or Cantebrigge, while the river that flowed through it was called the Granta.
