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Open Cambridge weekend a major success

The annual three-day celebration of heritage, history and architecture in Cambridge ended on a high in the city centre on Sunday at the Bridge the Gap charity walk on Parker’s Piece.

This year’s Open Cambridge was an overwhelming success with over 12,000 people attending a range of talks, walks, tours and exhibitions over the three days. Visitors were able to see areas of the city that opened specially, including the University of Cambridge colleges, museums, libraries and gardens, John Lewis, ADC Theatre, Fire Station, Mill Road Mosque, Cambridge boathouses, and numerous churches, chapels and cemeteries.

Those who attended the range of talks were given the chance to learn more about the history of Cambridge, from how townsfolk dealt with the first arrival of scholars from Oxford and the history of rowing in Cambridge, to a moving talk by Councillor Lewis Herbert on World War Two Japanese Prisoners of War from Cambridgeshire who worked and died on the ‘death railway’.

As ever, the tours and walks were extremely popular, such as the tour that introduced members of the public to some of the past residents and places that have made Cambridge the scientific powerhouse it is today, and another walk that showed where the Bloomsbury Group lived, studied and performed.

The Open Cambridge dinner last Friday evening at Churchill College was also a great success. Over 110 people dined at the National and Commonwealth Memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, celebrating the life and 50-year anniversary since Churchill’s death. Alongside the delicious three-course meal, diners were treated to a lively after-dinner talk about Churchill’s colourful character traits from the Director of the Churchill Archives Centre, Allen Packwood.

Speaking after the dinner, Allen Packwood said, “What would Churchill have made of it all? He would have liked the food, enjoyed the wine, and relished the conversation. I suspect he would have preferred to give the talk, but I could at least let him have his say by quoting from some of the Churchill archives.”

Bridge the Gap charity walk, which took place on Sunday, the final day of the Open Cambridge weekend, also had a record number, outstripping last year’s with hundreds of extra walkers, which delighted the organisers. In total, over 2,000 people took part in the well-loved annual walk through the Cambridge Colleges to raise money for Arthur Rank and Press Relief.

This year, walkers were led along a route through Emmanuel, Christ’s, Jesus, St John’s, King’s, Pembroke and Downing Colleges, and had the opportunity to explore some of the Colleges’ beautiful grounds. Highlights included Emmanuel’s world-famous Oriental Plane tree, the Darwin gardens at Christ’s, the Orchards at Jesus College, views of the Bridge of Sighs at St John's, the walk along the River Cam at King's College, the intertwining gardens at Pembroke and the expansive grounds of Downing. Walkers then returned to Parker’s Piece for cake and the festive sounds of Arco Iris playing a variety of Brazilian, Cuban, Latin, and crossover rhythms.

Another highlight of the day was the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire live outside broadcast from 9am until 11am, during which the presenters interviewed the Mayor of Cambridge and various walkers, including a Dutch couple who decided to take part in the walk on the spur of the moment after a morning stroll across Parker’s Piece.  BBC Presenter Nick Conrad also acted as official compere for the event.  

Some of the new Open Cambridge events this year were also extremely well attended. The Cambridge Boathouses event on Saturday had more than 300 people drop in to find out more about the sport and enjoy an afternoon barbeque.

Other figures for the Open Cambridge weekend:

  • 68 separate pre-booked tours and talks were fully booked before the weekend arrived, and nearly 2,300 places were pre-booked in advance of the weekend
  • 2,440 visits to some of the historic libraries across the Colleges and University  
  • Over 400 people explored College gardens and grounds on a range of drop-in and guided tours
  • 546 went on the Open Cambridge top walks, organised by The Society of Cambridge Tourist Guides
  • Over 300 people visited the Mosque on Mill Road during their open day
  • Around 2,000 people attended the Cromwell re-enactment at Great St Mary’s Church on Saturday
  • Approximately 500 people visited the Fire Station open day

Commenting on this year’s Open Cambridge, Coordinator Sue Long said, “We are absolutely thrilled at the success of this year’s Open Cambridge. It proves how much Cambridge residents and visitors love the city and want to explore and discover more about it.

“Of course, we couldn’t pull together a weekend like this without the kind support of our sponsors, Kier, Cambridge BID, the City Council and Cambridge University Press, and not forgetting our wonderful volunteers. We are very grateful to all of them!”