TAKE THE 10
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GRANTCHESTER TO C AMBRIDGE 12
Take in beautiful churches and rolling meadows, stop for a cup of tea or a local beer as you discover the world of Sidney Chambers – an unforgettable new hero in the world of detective fiction. Starting point: Church of St Andrew and St Mary, Grantchester End point: Cambridge railway station
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Approximate walking time: 2 hours
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Visit www.grantchestermysteries.com for more information
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OUT NOW IN ALL GOOD BOOKSTORES
CURATED BY
JAMES RUNCIE
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HE VILLAGE OF GRANTCHESTER is just over two miles from the centre of Cambridge. Start the walk at the Church of St Andrew and St Mary, Grantchester. This is where Sidney is Vicar and where The Grantchester Mysteries begins. 1
The church was founded in 1352 by the two local trade guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The patron of the living is still a Corpus Christi college and you can see its emblem The Pelican in her Piety in the mosaic floor in front of the altar. The architecture ranges from early Norman to the nineteenth century, when the south aisle was added. The oldest part of the building is the chancel, which dates from the fourteenth century and has fine tracery in the decorated style. The church tower is fifteenth century but the clock is no longer ‘stuck at ten to three’ as it is in Rupert Brooke’s famous poem The Old Vicarage, Grantchester. Nor, I am afraid, does the current Vicar live there (that honour falls to Jeffrey and Mary Archer). The current Vicarage is the white building to the right of the church. The Old Vicarage itself is off Mill Way.
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On leaving the church, walk up the High Street to The Green Man pub and turn right onto Grantchester Meadows. 3
This is where Sidney walks his dog, Dickens, on a daily basis. In summer it is a wonderful spot for a picnic so you may like to bring one with you; although Sidney, Amanda, and Jennifer also have a winter picnic here on the River Cam at the end of the story ‘The Missing Ring’.
Continue along the river through two gates, through a tall hedge and ‘Little Fen’, a 500-year-old water meadow. Follow the river and then walk up to the footpath into town. It will take fifteen to twenty minutes to cross the Meadows. Leave via Eltisley Avenue, home of Hildegard Staunton in the first Sidney story, ‘The Shadow of Death’. The first major turn on the right, by the corner shop, is Chedworth Street, home of Isabel Livingstone and then Dr Michael Robinson in ‘First Do No Harm’.
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Cross into Newnham Road, and take the first footpath on the right across Lammas Land and follow the footpath signs to the City Centre. Watch out for cyclists, and imagine Sidney himself bicycling to and from Cambridge along these very paths. If you tire, you can stop for a pint in The Granta Pub. Soon you will find Mill Lane on your right. Go up Mill Lane and turn left into Trumpington Street. This leads into King’s Parade. Almost immediately on your right you will see Fitzbillies cake shop where you can buy Sidney’s favourite Chelsea Bun. On the left-hand side is Ede and Ravenscroft, Sidney’s tailor, and further down the road on the right is Sidney’s Cambridge college, Corpus Christi.
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Founded in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, it bears the distinction of being the only College in Oxford or Cambridge founded by their citizens. Try to visit Old Court, to the left, the original court of the college which dates from the 1380s. It is a rare mediaeval architectural gem and the oldest surviving enclosed court in Cambridge. 6
7 New Court was built in the 19th century, designed by the architect William Wilkins, who designed the National Gallery, Downing College and the front screen of King’s College, among others. The New Court of Corpus remained his favourite building and he is buried in the Chapel here. To its right and left are the Library and the Hall, respectively. This triangular arrangement of buildings reflects the balance between academic, spiritual and social life in the College community. 8
Turn right out of Corpus and walk down King’s Parade to King’s College Chapel. The first story in Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death ends here, and Volume Two of The Grantchester Mysteries: Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night begins with a suspicious fall from the roof.
This is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late-Gothic (Perpendicular) architecture. It was started in 1446 by Henry VI (1421–71) and took over a century to build. It has the largest fan vault ceiling in the world and some of the finest medieval stained glass. The architect of ‘the noblest stone ceiling in existence’ was John Wastell and he built it in three years between 1512 and 1515. Try and time your arrival for evensong (most often at 5.30 p.m.)
Double back (you may like to note the second floor of 20 King’s Parade, where James Runcie was born) and turn left into Bene’t Street. On your right, you will see The Eagle pub, where Sidney and Inspector Keating meet for two pints of beer and a game of backgammon every Thursday night.The RAF bar is at the back.This is also where Watson and Crick drank while they were cracking the secrets of DNA (also in 1953). 9
Enjoy a couple of pints here, and, on emerging, turn left and cross into the shopping centre, Lion’s Yard, noting The Arts Theatre on the way. This is the location of the first murder in the last story in Volume One, ‘Honourable Men’.
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Turn right into St Andrews Street, and note the old Police Station, on the right, just after Emmanuel College. Inspector Keating would have had his office on the first floor. 11
It is a further ten-minute walk up Hills Road to the Railway Station, scene of the denouement in the first story in Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death and the fictional offices of ‘Morton and Staunton solicitors’ where you should be able to find a train to take you home.
If you are feeling energetic, or it is summer, you can make a quick detour on this route and turn left into Gonville Place, and then right into Gresham Road, and find yourself at Fenners Cricket Ground – site of the mass poisoning in Volume Two of The Grantchester Mysteries. On a summer afternoon you might even be able to catch a few overs of cricket before your journey.
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You can also do this tour in reverse order, starting at the Railway Station, and either walking or taking a five minute taxi into the City Centre. Then you could see the main sites and take a punting trip on the river to Grantchester rather than walking. You can hire a punt either with or without a guide at Silver Street Bridge, opposite Queen’s College and by The Anchor pub.