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Walk and wander through the city with Open Cambridge 2018

Walk and wander through the city with Open Cambridge 2018

Many of us walk through Cambridge, but how much do we really notice? Open Cambridge 2018 is your chance to conduct your own walking tour and see wonders like the archaeological collection kept in a nuclear bunker, or shoes made from fish skin.

A great place to start is Eddington, Cambridge’s newest neighbourhood to the north-west of the city centre. Open Eddington includes more than 25 events and allows visitors to hear from the renowned architects, professionals, and development partners who contributed to creating Eddington. Heather Topel, Project Director of the North West Cambridge Development said: “We are thrilled to offer again a whole day of public activities and events at Eddington that illustrate the depth and breadth of what Eddington has to offer. Over 4,000 people visited Eddington at our opening event last year and we hope many of our friends, neighbours and supporters – existing and new - will take the time to join us for this occasion.”

Next, take a pleasant walk towards central Cambridge, heading for the Cambridgeshire County Council buildings off Castle Street. Did you know that deep beneath these buildings, there lies a nuclear bunker? As, thankfully, there has been no need for its intended use, the bunker is instead used to store archaeological material in the Council collection, and Open Cambridge lets visitors view these treasures.

From there head downhill to visit St John’s College and drop in to its exhibition on the history of the book, held in their historic 17th-century library. Once you’ve learnt about book-making through the ages, you can head along The Backs to the Sidgwick Site, where the Marshall Library of Economics and the Squire Law Library are both opening their doors to visitors. The Squire Law Library has a specially curated display marking the centenary of the Representation of the People Act (1918), where you can see how the vote was extended to women and celebrate 100 years of women in law.

Delve deeper into the history of women at Selwyn College, adjacent to the Sidgwick Site, with a display featuring three women who experienced 19th-century life in New Zealand, Melanesia, and closer to home in Cambridge and London. Afterwards, take a picturesque stroll down the tree-lined Sidgwick Avenue, past the Mathematical Bridge at Queens’ College, and down Trumpington Street to arrive at the Fitzwilliam Museum. Here, you can take a tour which explores gender and sexual identities through a selection of LGBTQ objects in the museum’s collection.

By now, your feet may be weary, but perhaps not as weary as some of the feet who wore the shoes exhibited in If the Shoe Fits at the Scott Polar Research Institute. Drop in to the Polar Museum to find out some of the stories behind the museum’s curious collection of boots used in Polar explorations. Sophie Rowe, the conservator you can meet at the event, said: “Expect to see a fascinating range, from boots made of fish skin to ones which would not look out of place on an astronaut, and some very worn ones used by Captain Scott himself.”

Stroll through one of Cambridge’s many green spaces, Parker’s Piece, and visit the new statue Cambridge Rules 1848, marking Cambridge’s contribution to the creation of modern football. Nigel Fenner, a descendant of Francis Phillips Fenner, will start his tour and talk here on mid-19th century sport in Cambridge for those who have booked a place. You can also pop over the road and visit Cambridge Fire Station to find out what life in a fire station is like.

To finish off your exploration of Open Cambridge, turn your feet to the vibrant area around Mill Road. Here, visit the Abu Bakr Mosque where you can have an informal chat on Islam and its heritage, and see Islamic artefacts and calligraphy. Finally, the Mill Road History Society are hosting an afternoon on Picturing Mill Road. Contemporary artists of Mill Road will discuss their work and the Society will exhibit their collection of historic photographs. If you have a picture or photograph of Mill Road, including children’s art work, you are encouraged to bring it along.

Open Cambridge takes place on 14-15 September and offers the public a chance to visit a range of stunning buildings and hidden curiosities. There are more than 80 events in this year’s programme, with over 25 events as part of Open Eddington.

Create your own tour by looking through the website www.opencambridge.cam.ac.uk to see what other special buildings will be open to the public.

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Marshall Library, Faculty of Economics