Medieval Cambridge
A walk through seven stops of the old town, from a round church of about 1130 to Cambridge's oldest college.
Cambridge's medieval core is a compact strip running south along the old road. This walk moves from the Round Church down to Trumpington Street, taking in churches and colleges from the eleventh century to the fourteenth, then ends at a free museum.
The route
Start: The Round Church
Built around 1130 in imitation of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, it is one of only four medieval round churches still in regular use in England. Closed on Sundays.
The University Church was built between 1478 and 1519, with the tower following in 1608. Its clock's Cambridge Quarters were later used for Westminster's clock tower.
The tower is generally treated as the oldest standing building in Cambridge, most probably from 1000 to 1050. The church is open daily.
Founded in 1352 by two of the town's own guilds. Old Court, from the 1350s, is among the oldest groups of buildings in Cambridge.
Mostly 14th-century, beside the former south gate. It holds the only medieval rood screen left in a Cambridge parish church.
6. Peterhouse
Dated to 1284 and the oldest college in Cambridge. Its medieval Hall is the one surviving 13th-century building; report first to the Porters' Lodge.
Opened in 1848 in a Grade I listed building. Entry is free.
Practical notes
- Several of these buildings are working churches or colleges, so opening times shift. Look at each page before you go.
- The Round Church is closed on Sundays. Check the others on their own pages.
- Distance and time are estimates for the straight line between stops, adjusted for street detours.
- Distance: 1.2 km / 0.7 miles (estimate). Time: about 1 hr 20 min (estimate, including stops).
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
