'Town NOT Gown' Cambridge history tours for local residents Discover the hidden history of Cambridge with local historian & Blue Badge Guide Allan Brigham. Allan is Chairman of the Friends of the Folk Museum. He regularly speaks and writes about Cambridge. Click here for details of walking tours. Articles by Allan Brigham Romsey Recreation ground Is Town v Gown a thing of the past? Romsey Town Cambridge 1966-2006 Christ's Pieces: A year on a Cambridge park "Does Cambridge need more houses" in The Guardian 2000 - update 2009 Links to articles about Allan Brigham Interview on BBC Cambridgeshire Interview in Cambridge Evening News BBC video about Allan's honorary master's degree Cambridge Evening News account of the degree ceremony Photos of Allan Brigham Various photos

Many local people know more about villages visited on holiday in Tuscany or Yorkshire than about their home town.  These Walking Tours offer an introduction to Cambridge for all those who always meant to take a closer look, but never quite had the time.

Tours last 1 ½ to 2 hours unless specified. All welcome, children too! Group tours can be arranged for work or social groups.
You can just turn up on the day, but numbers are limited. To guarantee a place please book in advance. Please let me know if you can't come as  there is a waiting list for some tours.
To book a place or for more information, contact Allan Brigham via email townnotgown@btinternet.com

Tuesday 24th August: 19.00-20.30 Cambridge City Centre History Tour- Town & Gown! An Introduction to Cambridge for local residents Take time to look at Cambridge city centre after the visitors have gone home. With its college buildings, medieval lanes, commons and riverside walks Cambridge is probably one of the most beautiful cities in western Europe. Hear about the origins of the town 2,000 years ago, the coming of the university a mere 800 years ago, and about town & gown riots on the market square every November 5th! Many local residents spend hours exploring foreign cities when on holiday but never get around to looking at Cambridge. Try it tonight! Meet: In front of the Guildhall. Cost: £6.50. Under 16 free.

Wednesday 25th August: 18.30-20.30 ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!’ From the old Cattle Market to Hobson’s Conduit (via Cambridge Leisure and Accordia!) The recent tour of Brooklands Avenue and Accordia was fully booked. This is another opportunity to explore the old and new developments in the area. Get out of the car or off the bike and take time to look a bit closer! Discover how these fields on the edge of Cambridge were transformed in the 19th and 20th centuries by the unexpected arrival of the railway on the outskirts of the town. Why was the railway built so far from the town centre ? What do you think of The Travelodge ? Was the Cattle Market redevelopment successful? Hear how 19th century politics shaped the building of Brooklands Avenue......take a closer look at old Almshouses, discover the Foster family mansion.....and check out Accordia, described as: ‘a post-Thatcherite development that is not afraid of communal aspirations’. Politics again ? End with a look at Hobson’s Conduit, hear about its history, and enjoy the best of Cambridge – countryside in the heart of the city. How successful have we been at making this area an attractive place to live ? Come and see what YOU think – the good, the bad and the ugly! Meet: Cambridge Leisure ( Cattle Market site) – outside Cinema/Bowling Alley End: Trumpington St ( Botanic Gardens entrance) Cost: £6.50. Under 16 free.

Thursday 26th August: 18.30-20.30 Cambridge to Paradise Newnham,Village of the Dons   Walk from Cambridge to Paradise and discover Newnham, the village of the Dons. A quiet hamlet outside Cambridge in the middle of the 19th century, Newnham grew once the Dons were allowed to marry. Academic ghetto or the most desirable address in Cambridge ?! Come and take a look. Meet: Mill pond, Mill Lane  End: Paradise Nature Reserve   Cost: £6.50 (under 16 free). Families welcome.

Thursday 2nd September: 18.30- 20.30 Riverside: The REALLY HORRIBLE HIDDEN HISTORY of Cambridge! Discover the hidden history of the streets hidden behind Newmarket Road Burrow into the dirtiest and smelliest crevices of Cambridge's history See how Victorian technology saved Cambridge from a growing mound of refuse AND a river full of sewage! Discover the last remains of the renowned Barnwell Priory See the site of the largest Fair in medieval Europe on Stourbridge Common. PLUS  Special opening  of MUSEUM OF TECHNOLOGY - come and see inside the gates!! Meet: Museum of Technology (by the big chimney, Riverside entrance) - End of tour: Museum of Technology Cost: £7.00 (under 16 free). Families welcome. Includes entrance to museum.

Friday 10th September: 18.00-20.00 REFLECTIONS ON CAMBRIDGE … with 4 local authors What is Cambridge?.... How well do you really know it? … What are YOUR views about living here? Talk: Castle End Mission, St Peters Street, followed by refreshments at Cambridge Folk Museum. Free event but booking essential: Tel: 01223 766766 or www.cam.ac.uk/opencambridge – search under ‘Tours’ The Cambridge & County Folk Museum would like to invite you to hear 4 local authors - Alan Macfarlane, Allan Brigham, Nicholas Chrimes & Alec Forshawe - present their personal viewpoints, and then join in a stimulating and open discussion about Cambridge, past, present and future. This is also an unmissable opportunity to see inside two buildings which lie at the heart of Cambridge’s social history. The talks will take place in the Castle End Mission Hall - opened in 1884 for the education of poor working men. It’s a relatively unaltered Victorian building which is still an important centre of community activity. Afterwards, there will be a visit to the Cambridge Folk Museum, only a 5 minute walk away, housed in a 17th century timber-framed building. Here, you’ll have a chance to look round the Museum’s varied collections in a relaxing environment, enjoy some refreshments, and meet the staff. ALLAN BRIGHAM is well known as a local Historian & Blue Badge Guide. He regularly speaks and writes about Cambridge and is Chairman of the Friends of the Folk Museum. In 2010 Allan was awarded an Honorary Degree by Cambridge University for services to the city. PROFESSOR ALAN MACFARLANE is a Life Fellow of King's College and Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology. He has taught in Cambridge since 1971 and recently published his 'Reflections on Cambridge'. He is the author of 18 books and his website with tours of Cambridge and many interviews is at www.alanmacfarlane.com NICHOLAS CHRIMES is an outsider to Cambridge, as he is neither a graduate of the university nor lives in the city. However through working with the Blue Badge guides at the Botanic garden, the Fitzwilliam Museum and in the city centre, he has ploughed the story of Cambridge in his book "Cambridge - Treasure Island in Fens" in a fascinating new direction. ALEC FORSHAW wrote 'Growing Up In Cambridge: From Austerity to Prosperity' which provides a rich, first-hand account of life, the city and the university in a time marred by the recent war, while at the same time on the brink of great change. - see Cambridge Eveing News story.