2:30pm-3:30pm on Tuesday 16 September
Ascension Burial Ground, All Souls Lane, Huntingdon Road, CB3 0EA
It’s been called ‘Britain’s Brainiest Cemetery’. The Ascension Burial Ground is one of Cambridge’s best kept secrets. There’s more IQ lying in this acre than most others. Explore the history of the University amid the academics’ gravestones. This is the burial place of one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century, Ludwig Wittgenstein; of three Nobel prizewinners (who split the atom, identified vitamins, and decoded haemoglobin); of the discoverer of the planet Neptune; of founding figures in economics and anthropology, psychology and criminology; of the astrophysicist who demonstrated Einstein’s theory; of a clutch of Darwins; and of women pioneers in higher education: in all, 90 people with entries in Britain’s Dictionary of National Biography. The Ascension is also a veritable ‘alphabet museum’ of exquisite lettering artistry. 225 species of trees and plants have been recorded.
Tour guide: Professor Mark Goldie, historian, Fellow of Churchill College. The tour is an event offered by the Friends of the Ascension Burial Ground.
Location: All Souls Lane, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0EA. The lane is between nos. 145 and 147 Huntingdon Road, 50 metres north-west of the junction with Storey’s Way. Walk down the lane to reach the Burial Ground. The Ascension is one mile from Magdalene Bridge.
Buses: The Citi 5 and Citi 6 buses from the Emmanuel Street bus station or St John’s College stop at All Souls Lane. The U bus, from Trumpington Street, Silver Street, West Road, or Grange Road, goes to Eddington, which is 15 minutes’ walk from the Ascension.
Access: Please avoid bringing cars down the Lane, except for those needing special access. Except for the entrance drive and area immediately in front of the former chapel, the terrain is unsuitable for wheelchairs. It is tricky (but possible) for children’s buggies. Parking is available in Storey’s Way after 12 noon.
Safety: There are gravel paths, uneven surfaces, overgrown areas, and gravestones: possible trip hazards, and danger from loose or falling gravestones. Suitable shoes are recommended.
Supporting the Ascension Burial Ground: The Friends of the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground was created in 2010 to protect and enhance the Burial Ground ‘for the public benefit as a place of remembrance, spirituality, history, and nature’. Donations are welcome. Membership is £10 p.a. (£15 household, £5 concessions). Contact: Professor James Clackson, jptc1@cam.ac.uk.