Hidden Stories of Cambridge: Bikes, Boats & the Birth of Football

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I’ll show you a side of Cambridge you won’t find in the typical travel guides. In this video, I walk through the city and share the hidden stories behind its quiet streets and green parks. Why is the train station so far from the center? How did students fight against the railway? Why do thousands of people here live on boats instead of in apartments? I’ll take you through the cycling culture, medieval training grounds, and the field where modern football was born.
Come with me and see Cambridge as you’ve never seen it before — raw, surprising, and full of history.

Watch the issue for more details:

00:00 Exploring Cambridge beyond the postcard
00:30 Why is the train station so far from the city center?
01:07 Cambridge’s rebellion against the railway in 1845
02:37 Why bikes rule the streets of Cambridge
03:20 Cycling infrastructure and road priority
04:22 How castles and churches were once painted
05:13 Life on boats: the romantic and practical alternative
06:17 Living on a boat vs. renting a flat
07:45 Thousands live on the water in the UK
09:06 Cambridge parks: medieval training grounds for archers and knights
09:51 Parker’s Piece: the birthplace of modern football
12:16 The Cambridge Rules: revolutionizing the sport
13:02 The house of Henry Morris: pioneer of public education

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I continue to show you around Cambridge. Today, I’ll try to tell you stories about the city that go beyond the usual. We’ll learn how the Cambridge community rebelled against the construction of a railway to Cambridge, what football was like before the 19th century, why many people here in the city live in boats, and how Cambridge’s parks were once the training grounds for archers and knights. [Music] So I arrived from London at Cambridge Railway Station. It is located approximately 2 kilometers from the city center. You may have noticed that many railway stations are usually right at the heart of the cities, but in Cambridge it’s not. As you leave the station, there are a bunch of different hotels right around the station. To get to the center, I have to walk. This is due to historical reasons of its construction in the 19th century. When the railway came to Cambridge in 1845, university authorities and towns people expressed concerns about the possible impact of the railway on the town and the university. That is if you and I actually want a metro line to be built in our area or an airport or a railway station to be built near our city. Cambridge residents want the opposite. They were concerned that the arrival of large numbers of visitors and students from different cities could disrupt the academic atmosphere and lead to increased crime and a decline in moral standards. To minimize the impact of the railway on the university and city life, it was decided to build the station. some distance from the center. Moreover, at that time, building a railway closer to the city center would have been more difficult and expensive due to the need to overcome existing historical buildings and urban obstacles. Placing the station on the outskirts of the city made it possible to reduce costs and simplify the lane of tracks. Over time, Cambridge expanded and the station became part of new development. I think this clarifies the train station location and why you may walk to the city on foot. If you came here, you can just um throw throw away your phone and um forget about it and simply enjoy the city because the city is completely walkable. That is you can um walk it through entirely on foot. And even though you and I will walk, let’s not forget that the main mode of transport in Cambridge is a bicycle. [Applause] [Music] Cambridge and also Oxford, by the way, are known for their active cycling cultures, but Cambridge tends to stand out a little from other British cities in terms of popularity and infrastructure for cyclists. Cambridge is certainly one of the most bike friendly cities in the UK. Over 50% of students in Cambridge use cycling as their main mode of transport around the city. I want to stress main that is they use the bicycle every day. One of the great things about Cambridge is the freedom to cycle anywhere anytime. Cyclists in Cambridge generally have priority on many roads and pedestrian crossings particularly in the city center. Of course, you need to follow safety rules, watch the traffic. And Cambridge even has special bicycle service centers where you can get your bike repaired or tires pumped up for free. Almost everywhere there are convenient bicycle paths for cyclists. There is a system of separated paths, many parking lots, including two level ones, especially in the city center and on the university’s territory. Special traffic lights for cyclists. Local authorities are actively involved in improving conditions for cyclists. As in Amsterdam, safe roads for cyclists have been developed in Cambridge. There is a bicycle rental similar to mobike where you can take a bicycle for a short time and leave it wherever you want. Very convenient for tourists. [Applause] [Music] Here is a great example over the door. Um look uh these details patterns all this is painted and really many castles um palaces temples um churches were um painted and not only in sight but outside too. And um now when we see castles they’re like this of sandy color in older times they could look like a painting. Can you imagine? Russia by the way is no exception. When we were in Sisdal we visited churches and the guide told us that in Sisdell the churches were also decorated on the outside. From life on a bike and bike in Cambridge life, we move on to life on boats. Boat trips are one of the most popular romantic ways to spend time in Cambridge for tourists. Many of these boat tours are run by Cambridge University graduates. You’ll hear different stories sail under bridges and of course see cambridge from the water which is a special feeling. All of these boats are flat bottomed boats which traditionally transported cargo along the cam such as coal or grain and passengers of course and now tourists. They’re very convenient for maneuring in Cambridge’s shallow waters. There are other types of boats in which people also live the so-called narrow boats. Cambridge has welldeveloped waterways infrastructure which includes rivers and canals. The river cam is the main river flowing through Cambridge. It is divided into several canals in different parts of the city with its associated waterways. Buying or renting a house boat is often cheaper than renting a flat or house in Cambridge. The boats can be purchased for relatively little money without paying high rents. Houseboers save on utilities such as electricity and water. Electricity can be generated by solar panels and water can be collected at special points along the canal. Heat is often provided by wood stoves. Houseboers avoid property taxes and land rents that are charged for regular housing. The only fee to consider is the boat registration and the license to use the canal. House boats allow you to move freely along the canals in England, changing your place of residence. This way, you can save on transport costs and your house moves with you. But you must follow certain rules for moving and not exceed the established periods of moing in one place. Repairing such a boat is often cheaper than repairing a house, although it requires regular maintenance. Boers often do their own repairs to save money on professional services. Many boat dwellers are living more self-sufficient lifestyle, growing their own vegetables and deck, using wood stoves for heating and even collecting rainwater. Living on a canal requires a certain level of self-reliance and adaptation. But it can be a good alternative for those looking to save money and live more sustainably. There are now thousands of people in England living in such narrow boats. For them, these are not just boats, but floating homes, and the river is a living organism. I have a separate video about life on such boats, so watch it if you’re interested in pecularities of life in England. Link in the description. But wait, not before finishing this one. I just saw something interesting walking uh through Cambridge um park right next to Trinity College. one one bird I don’t know a hawk a falcon whatever it is pterodactyl let’s call it by its code name a bird of prey the bird of prey caught a non bird of prey or a lesser bird of prey and right in the center of this green meadow um among people sitting on benches right in the middle of this [Music] it was uh eating it Let’s say Cambridge Parks. Is it a green city? I think it’s pretty obvious, but I don’t want to talk about the greenery, the grass, the benches, and the plants right now. Middle ages, archers, and knights. That’s my favorite subject. [Music] Now, we like to be athletic. We go to Pilates, work out, and do yoga and fitness centers. In the Middle Ages, there were no fitness centers. There was the field. All open spaces near the fortresses, parks, and fields were used for military training and sporting events. Archery was an important skill for English soldiers. Men were even required by law to train in archery. If you haven’t planned to visit Cambridge’s parks, here’s some motivation to check out Parker’s piece. The park was officially founded over 400 years ago when Trinity College exchanged it for a plot of land elsewhere in the city. This Parker’s Peace Park is located in the very center of Cambridge. Imagine how archers trained and noise fought here or how people played ball because it was here in 1848 that the Cambridge rules of football were first applied which became the basis for the modern rules of the game of football. Parker’s piece, Cambridge. The year is 1848. A meeting is held on the field with students from different schools and universities coming together to establish unified rules for the game of football. Before this, the rules of football vide greatly depending on the school where the game was played. Football at this time was a collection of local traditions and rules that could differ significantly from place to place and even from school to school including Cambridge, Oxford and elsewhere. There were many varieties of football during this period and the rules were not standardized. Different cities and regions of Great Britain had their own rules of the game. For example, in some places you could run with the ball in your hands. In others, you could only use your feet. Some games allowed passing the ball with your hands or even pushing in wrestling which later evolved into rugby bane. The size of the field and the number of players also variet. In some games that they played on quite large fields and squares and the number of players could reach just imagine several hundreds. All this made the game pretty chaotic and sometimes the opposite happened. Small fields were small teams played. Rugby school had its own set of rules which stipulated that the game of football included some acceptable use of hands. This eventually led to the development of the game known as rugby. Harrow school had football players passing the ball with their hands in some cases. This also made their style of play different from other schools. At Cambridge school, football was more organized but also had many variations. The game could involve wrestling and the use of legs and arms dependent on local traditions. However, the lack of standardized rules led to frequent conflicts between teams and match organizers. This created difficulties in organizing tournaments and competitions as each school or club wanted to play its own version of football. In 1848, the first attempt to standardize the rules of football known as the Cambridge rules was developed in Cambridge. These rules became a significant step in the development of modern football. What did the Cambridge rules include? The use of legs to play the game except for goalkeepers so they could use their hands. The introduction of the corner kick law which later became part of the modern rules limiting the use of physical wrestling and blocking. Following the Cambridge rules, the football association was founded in England in 1863. It officially established and standardized the rules of the game of football. Football as we know it today. Opposite this um members um members club. Uh there is also some interesting building. This small one. I’m going to take a look. There is something written on it. I’m curious what kind of building it is. Look, no yard, no nothing. Just a just a house. Just the door. We can knock. This is the house of Henry Morris who lived in 1889 and 1961. He was a pioneer but he was a pioneer in um public um education. There you go.