| U3AC walks | U3AC walk - Hobsons Conduit |
Route: Kings Parade, Trumpington Street, Fitzwilliam Street, Tennis Court Road, Lensfield Road, Parkers Piece, St Andrews Street
Length: 1.75 miles Start: Kings Parade - Finish: centre of market
Description: Hobson's Conduit is an open brook bringing water into Cambridge from Nine Wells. It was made in 1614, with local carrier Thomas Hobson, providing most of the funding. Parts of it still remain. For maps and more information about Hobson's Conduit, and Thomas Hobson, see bottom of this page.
Click on photos for a larger version.
This walk starts in Kings Parade. You can sit on the wall in front of Kings college.
A German artist and stonemason, Ekkehaqrd Altenburger, surreptiously installed this paving stone around 1998. Although he put it right in front of Kings College Chapel, nobody objected or tried to stop him. He said that they thought he was a council official. The slab has been there ever since.
In the middle of the Market is the Market fountain. It is listed grade II, and dates from 1856. The listing describes it as "former" as obviously it is full of plants rather than water. There has occasionally been an attempt to replace it with a real fountain, but it was thought that in a high wind, water from the fountain would drench half the market! Hobsons Conduit used to end here at Hobsons Conduit Head (which we have seen already).
The Market cobbles are also listed grade II, and dates from the same time as the fountain.
Beneath Peas Hill, near St Edwards Church, are cellars covering a quarter of an acre. Two of the tunnels are a hundred yards long. They were once used as wine vaults, and during the Second World War as an air-raid shelter for 400 people. The entrance is by St Edward's Church. I think that the glass blocks set in the pavement in St Marys Passage and St Edward's Passage may be for lighting it.
This parish pump is just within St Benets churchyard, to the left of the entrance. Before the establishment of the Cambridge Water Company in 1853, Cambridge people got their drinking water from Hobson's Conduit, wells or pumps. The pumps were often placed against churchyard walls. St Celements, St Boltolphs, St Gilesm Holy Trinity and the Round Church all had a churchyard pump. In one of these churchyards, the sexton, when opening a grave to make a second burial, found it kept filling with water. When he worked the pump nearby, the water disappeared. When news of this spread, some of the parishioners decided to stop using that pump for their drinking water!
The Eagle pub (listed Grade II) dates from around 1600. It was used by American servicemen in WWII. Later, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the structure of DNA in the Old Cavendish site. Once they had made this discovery, they crossed Benet Street to the nearest pub, the Eagle, to celebrate. As they walked into the Eagle, Crick announced "We have found the secret of Life." A blue plaque outside the pub celebrates this. The original plaque only mentioned Crick and Watson. There was a fuss about this, so it has been replaced by a new plaque, which also references Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, the scientists working in London, and "other scientists".
This is the Corpus Grasshopper, a fully functioning mechanical clock that shows the time without using hands. A part of mechanical clocks which converts pendulum motion into rotational motion is called a grasshopper escapement. In this clock, it really looks like a grasshopper. It is called the Chronophage or "time eater". It moves backwards and forwards on the cogs of the wheels. Its eyes blink at random. Every minute, its mouth opens, showing needle-like teeth. Then it shuts, eating the minute.
There are three circles of dots which show the hour, minute and second. The clock seems to hestitate from time to time, so the clock is accurate every five minutes rather than all the time. Under the clock is carved a quotation from 1 John 2:17 "Mundus transit et concupiscentia eius" or "The world passeth away, and the lust thereof." The first word looks like MUDUS rather than MUNDUS, but there is a line over the first U. This is a scribal mark showing that the word has been abbreviated. Click here for more on the clock and its maker.
St Catharines college is listed grade I. It was built 1694-7. The gate (also grade I) has a wheel on top, which is on the college coat of arms. The wheel is the symbol of St Catharine, because she was killed by being broken on a wheel (hence the fireworks called catherine wheels).
Here is part of Hobsons Conduit still above ground. These Hobson's Conduit runnels were created between 1794 and 1815, so they were not part of the original scheme. They are listed grade II. They still sometimes run with water, but are often dry. The water from Hobson's Conduit provides water for a couple of college gardens, and for the Botanic Gardens. There are two channels, on each side of the road. Apparently, they are called Pem (after Pembroke college) and Pot (after Peterhouse).
There are bridges over the channels for pedestrians. This one, outside Pembroke, was added recently, and names the conduit.
Peterhouse College is listed grade I. It is the oldest college (founded 1284), but what you see here is 1628 onwards. The front railings and gates are 1751.
Peterhouse Master's Lodge and gates were built in 1702. They are both grade I.
This building dates from C16. It is listed grade II. It used to be called The Little Rose, and still has a rose on the wall.
Cross Trumpington Street at zebra crossing.
31 Trumpington Street (Fitzwilliam House) was built in 1727 and is grade II*. It used to be called Fitzwilliam Hall, and was a non-collegiate institution for poor students from 1874-1963. This institution became Fitzwilliam College in 1966, and moved up Castle Hill. This plaque is above the right-most ground floor window. It says "1727 IH X" and a catherine wheel. It was originally thought to be something to do with St Catherine's College, but there is an alternative explanation. The house was owned by John Halstead (hence the "I H"). He was a brewer. Brewers were accustomed to masrk barrels of the correct size with X, and from the fourteenth century, some breweries were named The Catherine Wheel.
The Fitzwilliam Museum and railings in front are listed grade I. The museum was built from 1837-1843. It has an impressive collection of art and antiquities, and holds important exhibitions. There are pineapples in the railings. Around 1715, the maternal grandfather of Fitzwilliam museum's founder succeeded in growing the first pineapples on English soil. There is a Cambridge story that the lions come alive at night, and walk round Cambridge! The pineapples on the railings (in gold) celebrate the first pineapples grown in Britain. They were grown by Sir Matthew Decker, the grandfather of the founder of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam (1745-1816).
Old Addenbrooke's hospital dates from mid C18. It took its name from John Addenbrooke (1680-1719), a medical graduate of St Catherine's College, who on his death, left a little over £4,500 in his will for the purpose of founding a small hospital for the poor of Cambridge. Building work started around 1740 and was completed in 1766, providing 20 hospital beds. It is now the Judge Business School. It is listed grade II*. The new Addenbrookes Hospital is, of course, on the edge of Cambridge, on Hills Road.
Turn round and then turn right into Fitzwilliam Street
30 Trumpington St is the chemist on the corner of Fitzwilliam Street, built 1727. It is listed grade II*. The sign over the door says "The sign over the door says G. Peck & Son Dispensing Chemists Est. 1851". It's good to see that it's still a chemist.
This plaque at 22 FItzwilliam Street says "Charles Darwin lived here 1836-37".
This Darwin window and gate are at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies in Fitzwilliam Street. The window is a quotation from The Origin of Species: "How do those groups of species arise? All these follow from the struggle for life. Owing to this struggle, variations, however slight and from whatever cause proceeding, if they be in any degree profitable to the individuals of a species, in their infinitely complex relations to other organic beings and to their physical conditions of life, will tend to the preservation of such individuals, and will generally be inherited by the offspring. The offspring, also, will thus have a better chance of surviving, for, of the many individuals of any species which are periodically born, but a small number can survive. I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term natural selection. We have seen that man by selection can certainly produce great results, and can adapt organic beings to his own uses, through the accumulation of slight but useful variations, given to him by the hand of Nature. But Natural Selection, we shall hereafter see, is a power incessantly ready for action, and is as immeasurably superior to man's feeble efforts, as the works of Nature are to those of Art." The gate looks like it is inspired by an evolutionary tree diagram.
By turning off Trumpington Street, we left one branch of Hobsons Conduit behind. However, another branch went down Tennis Court Road. No trace remains.
Downing College was founded in 1800. it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869. Money was left in the will of Sir George Downing in 1749 to various realtives, and if they all died withouty issue, to found a college at Cambridge called Downing. This happened, but various lawsuits meant it didn't happen until 1800.
We've seen the front of old Addenbrookes Hospital. This is the back! It is now the Judge Business School. This part was built around 1995. Note the palm trees growing near the roof on the right!
Turn right and cross the road. The Conduit Head is on the corner, on Trumpington Road.
Hobson's Conduit Head is listed grade II*. From 1614 to 1856 this conduit head stood in Market Hill where it served as a fountain. It was moved here in 1856.
Hobson's Brook continues south of this point. There are attractive little bridges over it. This is also part of Hobson's Conduit.
Turn back and go along Lensfield Road. Hobsons Conduit is invisible here, but it does run underground.
This bas-relief in stone is on the front of the Cambridge University Chemistry Faculty building on Lensfield Road. It is by Mary Spencer Watson, dated 1958. The symbols were used in early chemistry: from left to right: talc, iron, white lead, sub-acetate of copper, precipitation. The coat of arms is Cambridge University.
This bronze statue is in front of the Scott Polar Museum. It is called Youth, by Lady Kathleen Scott, dated 1920. It seems a most inappropriate statue for a polar museum!
Behind "Youth" there is the Antarctic Monument, "to the people who lost their lives in Antarctica in pursuit of science, to benefit of all". It is made of oak, by Oliver Barrratt, dated 2011.
Also in frnt of the museum is this monument to British Antarctic Survey Sledge Dogs. The sculptor is David Cemmick. It was unveiled in 2009 at the British Antarctic Survey, and resited in 2015 here.
This charming statue is also outside the Scott Polar Museum, round the side. It is 'Inukshuk', which means 'Cairn in the shape of a man'. It was built by Inuits to guide caribou. It comes from Baffin Island, Canada.
There is a group of old houses at the end of Lensfield Road. The narrow 16 Lensfield Road is particularly charming. It is listed grade II and is C18.
The Roman Catholic Church (Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs) was built 1887-1890. It is listed grade II*.
Cross Regent Street with care! This junction is known as Hyde Park Corner. Walk for a bit to Parkers Piece, and turn left onto the Piece, before the toilets. Look down. Here is part of Hobsons Conduit running under ground. The maps show that this has always been part of the water network. if you carry on walking, keeping the same distance from Regents Terrace, you should be able to find two more, although the signs saying Hobsons Conduit are smaller.
Alternatively walk along the path towards Reality Checkpoint.
The lamp standard in the middle of Parkers Piece is called Reality Checkpoint. It is listed grade II, and dates from 1894. there are various reasons given for the name. It is considered to be at the border between Cambridge University and the Town, so if students visited the town, this was where they had to "check their reality". Another suggestion is that this used to be the only lamp on Parkers Piece, and if there was fog, you could feel lost until you came across the lamp. Now there are six modern lamps as well, which were deliberately made in a similar style.
There is a dinky door behind Reality Checkpoint.
Parkers Piece is used as the sports field for Parkside College, the local secondary school. It has been used for cricket for a long time. This is Hobb's Pavilion, used as changing rooms for cricketeers, but now a restuarant. Look at the weathervane - it's a batsman!
Jack Hobbs used to play here. This plaque on the pavilion says "Sir Jack Hobbs 'The Master' 1882-1963. Born Barnwell, Cambridge. Learned cricket on Parkers Piece. Played for Cambs, Surrey and England. First professional to be knichted. 61,237 runs, 197 centuries in first class cricket. Played in 61 test matches."
This mural is on the side of Hobbs Pavilion. There is a small plaque in the centre saying "Cambridge 2000 - Sustainable City" and on the mural it says "Act locally" and "CamLETS". The CamLETS website says "LETS stands for Local Exchange Trading System. It is a way a community can trade skills, services or goods without needing or using real money."
This plaque is behind the Univesity Arms hotel. It is part of a quote by Walter Mildmay, who founded Emmanuel College in 1584. Queen Elizabeth I said "Sir Walter, I hear you have erected a puritan foundation". Mildmay replied: "No, madam; far be it from me to countenance anything contrary to your established laws; but I have set an acorn, which when it becomes an oak, God alone knows what will be the fruit thereof". The building that it's on must be part of Emmanuel.
There is another dinky door called the Dinky Shrinky, behind the University Arms Hotel, on Park Terrace. The artists claim that they shrunk the University Arms twice while installing it, but they returned it to normal size, so that's OK!
Turn right onto Regent Street. On the left, there is Hobson House (about to be made into a hotel). A blue plaque on the wall says 'Thomas Hobson 1544-1630 Carrier and stable keeper. The most rested horse was Hobson's Choice - "that or none". The present Hobson House replaced a workhouse built by his charity.'
Emmanuel College is listed grade I. The front was built 1769-75.
This sculpture is on the side of the John Lewis building, between Downing Street and St Andrews Street. It faces Downing Street, and is quite high up the building. It is called Mother and Child, by Sophie Dickens, and is dated 2008. It is made of carved wood.
Hobson's conduit runs under St Andrews St. There are modern plaques marking its route, and you can see the grill covering it, on both sides on the road.
Hobson's Conduit is an open brook bringing water into Cambridge from Nine Wells, a series of chalk springs 3 miles outside Cambridge. The conduit head is now on the corner of Trumpington Road and Lensfield Road. It has been moved there from its original position in the market place, where it supplied drinking water to the public for over two centuries. Before the advent of this conduit, however, most townspeople in medieval Cambridge had little access to fresh drinking water. A popular alternative was to drink beer and there were many breweries in the town.
It was not until the late 16th century that a plan to bring fresh water to the town was established by Vice Chancellor of the University, Andrew Perne. This finally came into fruition as a joint Town and Gown venture in 1614, with local carrier Thomas Hobson, providing most of the funding.
Hobson's Conduit - or the 'New River' as it was known - was a considerable feat of engineering. Fresh water was distributed through the town, eventually reaching the market place via an underground pipe. At a time when waterborne diseases were a major killer, Hobson's Conduit undoubtedly increased people's chances of survival.
One map below shows where the conduits ran (I'm sorry to say that I got this map off the internet, and don't know who drew in Hobson's Conduit.) The other is Loggan's map of 1688, and the pale blue lines show open water where some of the conduits ran. I have heard that one reason for Hobson's Conduit was to flush out the Kings Ditch, which may explain why both are marked. Click on the maps for large scale versions.
Here is some more information about about Thomas Hobson (c.1544-1631).
He was a successful local entrepreneur, operating a mail delivery service from his stable and renting out his horses to students and Fellows at the weekends. He insisted on strict rotation - so that only the best rested horses were hired out. Hence the phrase "Hobson's choice"; meaning no choice whatsoever!
This painting is in the Museum of Cambridge. It was donated by John Meynard Keynes.The inscription reads (spelling modernised):
Laugh not to see so plain a man in print
The shadow's homely yet there's something in't
Witness the bag he wears though seeming poor
The fertile mother of a thousand more
He was a thriving man through lawful gain
And wealthy grew by warrantable pain
Then laugh at them that spend not them that gather
Like thriving sons and such a thrifty father.
The painting of Thomas Hobson is in the Guildhall.
John Milton, the famous poet, who studied at Christ's College, wrote this sonnet about Hobson. Apparently, Hobson was not allowed to travel freely because of the plague, and then he died. Milton imagines that since he was forced to stay still, Death was able to finally catch up with him! Hobson died in 1631, and Milton was born in 1608, so he was quite young when he wrote the poem.
On the University Carrier
Who sickened in the time of his Vacancy, being forbid to go to London by reason of the Plague.
Here lies old Hobson. Death hath broke his girt,
And here, alas! hath laid him in the dirt;
Or else, the ways being foul, twenty to one
He's here stuck in a slough, and overthrown.
'T was such a shifter that, if truth were known,
Death was half glad when he had got him down;
For he had any time this ten years full
Dodged with him betwixt Cambridge and The Bull.
And surely Death could never have prevailed,
Had not his weekly course of carriage failed;
But lately, finding him so long at home,
And thinking now his journey's end was come,
And that he had ta'en up his latest Inn,
In the kind office of a Chamberlin
Showed him his room where he must lodge that night,
Pulled off his boots, and took away the light.
If any ask for him, it shall be said,
"Hobson has supped, and 's newly gone to bed."
© Jo Edkins 2025 - Return to Walks index