Cambridgeshire

This area has a population of 650,000 and is 1,313 square miles (3,402 sq km)in area. It is located in East Central England. The county seat is Cambridge.

In Cambridgeshire there are the popular towns of Cambridge, Huntingdon, Melbourn, Peterborough, Soham and Ramsey.

Geography

Most of the area is low lying fenland, with the low, chalky East Anglian Hills in the south of the County and the Gogmagog (an ancient Celtic name) Hills near Cambridge. The main rivers are the Ouse, with its tributaries, and the Nene. The fens were drained after the Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden completed a vast drainage project in 1653.

Industry

Agriculture and light industry are the main economic activities. Wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, and fruits are grown. Food processing is an important industry as well as radio engineering and the manufacture of cement, bricks, and scientific instruments.

History

The town of Ely has been an ecclesiastical centre for centuries. Cambridge University, dates from the early 13th cent. Cambridge was the old Celtic town Cumulodumn and became a Roman administrative centre. King William the Conqueror built a castle and a mint in the town. Central Cambridge still maintains much of its medieval atmosphere and appearance and the university buildings are worth a visit. It has a range of fine restaurants and good shopping facilities. Its oldest churches are St. Benet’s which was built in the late Saxon period; St. Edward's (begun 12th cent.), St. Mary the Great (1478), the university church; and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of four Norman round churches in England.