Places 2.1 (Newnham) Flashcards
Newnham ward, Cambridge
Newnham ward is located in the west of the city and has a population of 11,400
Newnham ward, Cambridge: History
Newnham started out as a small hamlet which was linked to the town of Cambridge by a series of small bridges and fords over the various channels of theRiver Cam. A road led to the nearby village ofGrantchester.
Cambridge had been an inland port due to its location on the River Cam prior to the draining of the Fens.
As the university colleges rose in importance, the course of the river through the town, known as the Backs, was moved further to the east to accommodate their new buildings.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: History
The railway first came to Cambridge in 1845, and originally planners wanted to build it by the Mill Pond area.
However, the University of Cambridge would not give permission for this, feeling that it would ruin the character of the area (which was predominantly university colleges, as it still is today).
The railway station was instead built close to Hills Road, where it is today. This is why Cambridge is one of the few UK cities where the main railway station is not in the very centre of the city.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: History
When Cambridge Colleges were first built, they were like monasteries. The Fellows were there for life, could not marry; slept, ate, prayed, played, and thought in one physical space.
In 1882 Fellows of Colleges were allowed to retain their fellowship after marriage. This was a big change to College life, with Fellows living outside.
This helped fuel the growth of Newnham.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Demographic
Population: 11,400
Age structure:
0-19: 27%
20-64: 65%
65+: 8%
BUT 58% of all residents are aged 15-24, reflecting the large number of university students residing here.
Ethnic groups:
Asian: 17%
Black: 2%
Mixed: 6%
White: 73%
Other: 2%
Country of birth:
Born in UK: 63%
Born outside the UK: 37%
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Socio-economic
Occupation:
Managers & directors: 12%
Professional: 59%
Manual: 4%
Other: 25%
Median house price (2023): £1.1m (UK median £290,000)
Educational attainment:
No qualification: 2%
Level 3 (A-level): 51%
Level 4 (Higher education): 46%
Other: 1%
Employment status:
Employed: 24%
Unemployed: 2%
Economically inactive (e.g. students): 74%
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Cultural
Religious beliefs:
No religion 47%
Christian 27%
Muslim 3%
Other 5%
No answer 18%
Locations of cultural importance:
St. Mark’s Church (est. 1870, rebuilt 1901) reflects historic Christian population.
Kingsgate Community Church
Cultural events:
Lammas Land hosts the annual Cambridge Festival of Cycling which reflects the provision of a cycle rental facility in the area.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Political
Each of the 14 wards in Cambridge elects three councillors to sit on Cambridge City Council. Newnham has elected two Green Party councillors and one Labour Party councillor, making it a majority Green ward.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Built environment
Transport infrastructure
The Fen Causeway was constructed in the late 1920s after fierce local opposition to link Newnham village with Trumpington and to provide a southern bypass to the City Centre.
The A603 Barton Road travels through Newnham and provides one of the main routes between Cambridge and the M11 motorway for access to London and other parts of the country.
The Barton Road Greenway is a project to provide extensive wide cycleways along the road for cyclists to travel between Cambridge and villages to the west such as Barton and Comberton.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Built environment
Residential
The main area of housing is called Newnham Croft, in the south of the ward. Developed between the late 19th century and WWI, it contains streets of two storey Victorian or Edwardian terraced houses in high density with small front gardens but long thin back gardens.
‘Causeway’ is a set of three blocks of 1930s apartments built in the Art Deco style, providing 42 homes. They are protected as ‘Buildings of Local Interest’ (BLIs).
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Built environment
Residential
However there are a number of large, spacious properties around the University buildings and playing grounds.
Newnham contains some of the most expensive housing in Cambridge, such as this 6-bedroom detached house on Adams Road selling for £6.5m (Aug 2024).
Near to Newnham Croft, Millington Road is a private road with a number of large detached luxurious homes too.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Built environment
Key buildings & architecture
Cambridge University Library is a brown-brick Grade-II listed building which was was built in the 1930s and includes a prominent 17-storey tower.
The Maxwell Centre was built in 2016 and hosts the Physics of Medicine department. It has a distinctive doubly curved roof and modern, multi-coloured strips.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Natural environment
Lammas Land – fields were levelled and turned into a public park in 1925. Recreation area with open spaces, trees, and a public paddling pool.
Paradise Nature Reserve covers 2 hectares and is managed by Cambridge City Council. It includes wet woodlands with mature willows.
Coe Fen is a meadowland area once important for the commercial activity of Cambridge. There were once three watermills in the area. The area is liable to flooding so is used for grazing cows (coe = cow).
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Past connections- flows of people
There was a Romansettlement on what is now theWest CambridgeSite, which was in use at various stages from the 1stto early 5thcenturies.
The colleges employed people from the local area invarious positions, encouraging migration to the city.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Past connections- Flows of resources
1118 to 1845: the River Cam was an essential travel andtrading route, transporting fish, grain, timber and stone.When the railway arrived in Cambridge in 1845 rivertrade decreaseddramatically.
The red bricks used in Newnham College’s DorothyGarrod building were sourced from Northcott inGloucestershire.Thestone for around the Newnham college porter’s lodgecomes from Portland inDorset.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Past connections- Flows of money and investment
Newnham has always seen large inflow of money and investment, primarily from the university colleges in the area, but also from alumni who provide donations to the colleges they attended
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Past connections- Flows of ideas
University was founded in AD120, by a scholar that movedfrom Oxford after the ‘Town and Gown riots’ inOxford.
Changing ideas also helped Newnham to grow into the suburb it is today (when fellows of colleges were allowed to marry in 1882 many resided outside of colleges to have a family).
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Present-day connections- Flows of people
Thousands of students (people) come to colleges within Newnham during term time. They come from a wide variety of places to study a wide variety of subjects bringing a diversity of ideas to the ward.
Many commuters travel from or through Newnham to work in Cambridge daily via the many cycle routes, from villages such as Barton and Comberton.
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Present-day connections- Flows of resources
There are very few resources into or out of Newnham today
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Present-day connections- Flows of money & investment
Most new investment in the ward comes from University funding including the Maxwell Centre (£26m) which opened in 2016. £21m came come from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. On the West Cambridge site is home to the William GatesComputer Lab, 50% funded by the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation. The University Sports centre was opened in 2013 and cost £16million – local people are allowed private membership at the gym, thus benefiting from this significant investment.
Students renting private properties can be a source of income for local landlords in the ward
Newnham ward, Cambridge: Present-day connections- Flows of ideas
The West Cambridge site is home to the British AntarcticSurvey.
The growth of Newnham and development as it is today is inextricably linked to the University (place of learning – ideas).
There is also a trend within STEM subjects at the university of Cambridge to co-locate with industry partners. To facilitate sharing ideas between university researchers and businesses more freely e.g. the 2019 new engineering building at West Cambridge.
