Do you know how Petty Cury got its name, or what you could buy from the smearmongers? Have you heard of the Cambridge book-fish, or the Great Market fire of 1849?
Market square has been the centre of Cambridge since the middle ages. Boats used to sail all the way up to Cambridge from the sea at King’s Lynn before the fens were drained. The ships and barges brought fish, wine, salt and luxuries to the docks all along the river. Local people and villagers from all around Cambridge came to the market to trade, gossip and see justice done: the market was also the site of the jail and public whippings, the stocks and beheadings.
On Saturday 10 September, Great St Mary’s Heritage, in partnership with Cambridge BID, hosts an exciting day of family activities, celebrating the history and mysteries of Cambridge Market. Events include mini historical market tours, time-travelling market traders – from medieval times to the swinging sixties – and a series of children’s activities inside Great St Mary’s Church.
The Museum of Cambridge will also set up a pop-up exhibition and memory stall where they hope to collect local people’s memories of Cambridge Market. And at 4pm, join us in Great St Mary’s for a talk about the changing faces of the market throughout history and some of the more unusual ideas about how to transform it for the future.