History

Cambridge. A quintessentially English city, famed for its long-established university. But if you thought Cambridge was just about the University, then you can guess again. Our beautiful neck of the woods has a long history, stretching way back before Cambridge University was established. So, take a punt with us (sorry) through some key moments in time. Shaking Up the Status Quo Many UK towns and cities are named after the rivers or seas that they grew up next to. Similar to Weymouth meaning “the mouth of the River Wey” or Plymouth meaning “the mouth of the River Plym”, Cambridge (pronounced Came-bridge not Cam bridge) means “the bridge over the River Cam”. But did you know that Cambridge was initially called “Granta Brycge”? This Anglo-Saxon name meant the “Granta Bridge” and was named after, you guessed it, the River Granta. But where is this River Granta, we hear you cry?! The original location of the Cam bridge As dialects changed over the years, the name “Granta Brycge” evolved to “Cambridge”. After a while, people assumed that Cambridge’s River was called the Cam and eventually, the section of the River Granta flowing through the town was renamed. So instead of the town being named after its river, the river is now named after its town. The upper stretches of the river, from the Mill pond heading upstream towards Grantchester, are still known as the Granta to this day. Roman Beginnings Like many English towns, the first permanent settlement in Cambridge was during the Roman era. The Romans built a fort on Castle Hill, which was later abandoned in the 5th century as the Roman Empire declined. Modern-day Cambridge can trace its origins to 875AD when [...]

You could be forgiven for thinking that punting along the river Cam is just about seeing the Cambridge colleges and hearing stories about student antics. However, to do that would be to ignore the 9 (yes nine!) Cambridge bridges that cross the river, dotted along the Backs. Admittedly, some of these bridges are more famous, more interesting, or just prettier than the others. We’re going to tell you about all of them, from one end of the river to the other (ok, not the whole of the river Cam, just the middle river, which is the bit that we punt along). *Warning – may contain spoilers* – you’ll almost certainly hear some of this information if you come on one of our Cambridge punt tours when you visit Cambridge, so look away now if you don’t want to know. Still here? Ok, settle in, this could be a long ride… (don’t worry though, there are lots of pictures). Magdalene Bridge First up we have Magdalene (pronounced maudlin) bridge. This road bridge is at one end (the start as far as we are concerned) of the Backs, on Magdalene street and next to the college of the same name. Not the most exciting bridge to look at: However, it is notable for: being on the site of (or very close to) the original crossing point over the river Cam on the Roman road that linked London (to the south) with the north and was part of an important trade route. The current, cast iron construction was built in 1892, designed by Arthur Browne, then rebuilt in 1982 Grade II listed building Having handy ridges underneath so you can pull yourself through whilst punting At one time […]

Have you heard of the Cambridge Backs? Even if you have, do you know what (or where) they are? Well, never fear, we are here to assist, entertain (we hope) and enlighten. The Cambridge Backs (or just the Backs for short) are an area of central Cambridge, along the banks of the river Cam. Cambridge University is what’s known as a collegiate university and the Backs are occupied by some of the most famous and prestigious of the colleges that form Cambridge University. There are seven Cambridge University colleges situated along the Backs. Going from North to South: Magdalene College St John’s College Trinity College Trinity Hall Clare College King’s College Queens’ College Just beyond Silver Street bridge at the Southern end of the Backs is Darwin College. Just beyond the northern end of the Backs, behind Jesus Green, is Jesus College. The backs, built on land reclaimed from what was effectively the flood plains of the river Cam, are now home to some eye-catching, inspiring, wonderful and in some cases, also rather famous examples of Cambridge architecture and college grounds. These are, of course, best viewed while relaxing in a Punt, floating down the river. What’s in a name? The name, ‘the Backs’ came about because this area was referred to as the backs of the previously mentioned colleges. The river wends its way through the college grounds of a number of these renowned educational establishments. However in many cases there are now college buildings on either bank of the river. Nonetheless, the name has stood the test of time. As have the views. Outstanding scenery, amazing tranquillity Yes, it’s a cliché but the backs have to be seen to be believed. Just a […]

If you’ve ever been punting before you’ll have enjoyed one of the many narratives delivered by one of our talented punt chauffeurs. And if you’ve been punting more than once, you may have enjoyed an altogether different narrative, because such is the way with storytelling. History is a supple and fluid mistress, and in the hands of our chauffeurs she ebbs and flows with the tides of the Cam… (ok, technically the part of the river Cam we punt on isn’t tidal any more but go with it). With this in mind, we thought it pertinent to bring you the definitive history of punting. Don’t worry though, no spoilers here, we’ll save the best river folklore for on board the punts… What is punting? A punt boat, more commonly known simply as a punt, is a square-ended boat that has a flat bottom with no keel. The normal method of propulsion is by using a 5m (16ft) long pole and literally pushing against the river bed. The pole is also used to steer, either as a tiller or rudder for gentle changes of direction, or by pushing off at an angle to the punt for more advanced manoeuvring. This method of propulsion is known as “punting”. History of punting Punts were developed in medieval times to provide stable craft that could be used in areas of water too shallow for rowing conventional craft. One such area was the Fens, the marshy flatlands north of Cambridge, where punts were integral to local trades such as eel fishing, reed-cutting, fowling (hunting ducks, etc) and for transporting cargo, until their use died out in the late nineteenth century. The first punts are traditionally associated with the River Thames […]

Allow us to set the scene Back when we started out as independent punt operators, there were just two of us, each with our own boat, working together as a partnership. As time went by, we added more punts and, as a consequence, needed more people to work with us to help take the tours and find people to go on them. In those days, we jokingly referred to ourselves as ‘Team Awesome’ (yeah, I know – it might seem a bit cringe-worthy looking back on it but it seemed like a good idea at the time). In those days, punting was still, largely, a summer activity. Most operators ceased trading altogether during the winter, or ran a very limited service. It was during one of those winter breaks that I decided to build us a website to help promote our business and perhaps bring in some advance bookings. Whilst trying to find a suitable domain name (website address), I discovered that most of the ones with punting in Cambridge (or words to that effect) had already been taken. Looking back, had I been a little bit more imaginative, I might have been able to find something (e.g. our current website address puntcambridge.co.uk may have been available). However, I decided to take a different approach and got inspiration from our tout boards, which all had Cambridge River Tour written on them. Perfect, I thought. It’s very ‘Ronseal’ it describes what we do and has the added advantage of making sense to people who have never actually heard of (at least in the context of Cambridge and boat trips) punting. I registered both the .co.uk and the .com domains, set about building a website and we started […]