Cambridge Building Spree

Anyone who has lived in Cambridge, moved away, and then returns for a visit will be astounded what is going on south and west of the station. It is common knowledge that when the rail station was built, the colleges conspired to have it sited as far out of town as possible, out by the cattle market, the lumber yards and grain elevator.  This was to keep the students from quickly jumping on a train to London.

A bicycle bridge erected in the early 1990s opened up the area south of the tracks to new housing, and blocks of flats now line the railway. The cattle market was ended and turned into a leisure centre, marked by a parking garage and a dance venue. This was matched by downtown development of a new shopping center dwarfing Lion Yard.

But here we are in the 2010s and all sorts of construction is going on along Hills Road south of the station turnoff. At the head of Station Road, for example, a 7-storey building is being erected, completely out of character with the surrounding buildings and vying with the Catholic church steeple in height. Continuing south, one comes to a whole neighbourhood of new blocks of flats on the left in the Cambridge Gateway project, some completed, some just going up. Then at the junction with Cherry Hinton Road, the street going west is loaded with apartment blocks, while the old cattle market on the left has acquired a Travelodge, a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley, and a row of shops including the ubiquitous Tesco. Cambridge is growing southwards, with gusto!

Cambridge Gateway project with the old grain elevator in the distance;
looking east towards the station from Hills Road

The old cattle market, looking northeast from Cherry Hinton Road

Looking west from the head of Cherry Hinton Road