Cambridge

The historic university town of Cambridge is one of my favourites.  When I was a youth I would cycle there for the day from my home near the Thames in Essex.  The journey there and back was over 100 miles, but to a fit teenager they were as nothing.  I loved to wander round those late medieval colleges and then go to the Backs where you could view the River Cam and try, mainly unsuccessfully, to punt along that beautiful waterway.

Today I go there to visit my daughter and her family by car and I usually wonder how I managed to get there and back on a bike.
There is no doubt that Cambridge is one of the intellectual capitals of the western world.  It was here in 1687  that Newton wrote his Principia, one of the most important scientific books ever written. It was here in 1911 that Rutherford made his fundamental discoveries concerning the nature of the atom. It was here that a group of scientists unlocked the genetic structure of humans , leading to the discovery of the famous double helix and later of human DNA.
The town has always had a strong Christian tradition. It was in the Anglican Church of Holy Trinity that Charles Simeon (1759-1836) preached to generations of undergraduates about the truths of the Gospel. He encouraged many to take the Gospel to the furthest corners of the earth. He had his problems at first; but he was a most persistent man.  Early in his long ministry his churchwardens locked him out of the church.  They were offended by his strong evangelical style of ministry.  His sermons were interrupted by boisterous students and he was often insulted in the streets.  A lesser man would have been worn down by the opposition, but he persevered and gradually won the respect and then the affection of both town and gown .His most famous son was Henry Martyn (1781-1812)   He took the gospel firstly to India and the to Iran, using his amazing linguistic gifts to translate the Scriptures into several oriental tongues, including Arabic  He died of fever at the early age of 31 on his way home to England.  His biography makes a fascinating read.
In 1882 the American evangelist D L Moody and his vocalist, Ira Sankey, came to Cambridge to speak to the students.Moody was anxious from the first about his lack of education when facing the intellectual sophistication of his audience. At first the meetings were chaotic.  When Ira Sankey sang there would be hoots and jeers and when Moody got up to speak they would laugh at his uneducated style and mimic his pronunciation. But Moody persisted and sought the backing in prayer of a group of mothers.  At the final meeting there was a solemn hush over the meeting as he challenged the students to give up their selfish worldly lives and to surrender to Christ. The result was remarkable.  Many of the students were converted and out of this campaign was formed a group of seven students who decided to give up careers and titles and go to China as missionaries. They are known today as the   
Cambridge Seven

Here are some shots that i took recently of the town.




Punting along the Cam, nearing the famous Mathematical Bridge.

The central market, well worth a visit

The two above show the glorious interior of King's College Chapel, one of the most admired examples of late-Medieval Perpendicular Gothic.  

Simeon's church today.  Sorry for the Hot Dog stand!