Midsummer Common
Encyclopedia
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, UK. The Cambridge Midsummer Fair held on the common is one of the oldest fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s in the UK and at one point was among England's largest. Today it exists primarily as an annual funfair
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
with the vestige of a market attached.
The common borders the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
, houseboats are typically moored on the common's bank and most of the boathouses of the Colleges
Colleges of the University of Cambridge
This is a list of the colleges within the University of Cambridge. These colleges are the primary source of accommodation for undergraduates and graduates at the University and at the undergraduate level have responsibility for admitting students and organising their tuition. They also provide...
of Cambridge University are located on the opposite bank.
Events
Regular major events held on the Common include:- The May Day Fair
- Strawberry FairStrawberry FairStrawberry Fair is a local festival of music, entertainments, arts and crafts. which has been held in Cambridge, England, since 1974. The fair is held on Midsummer Common on the first Saturday in June. It is open to the public and free and totally independent from any council-run events...
- Annual fireworks on Guy Fawkes NightGuy Fawkes NightGuy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
November the 5th, which attracted 25,000 people in 2006
Other events include fun run
Fun run
A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organisational costs...
s and cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
events where the common is used as a start / finish point.
A vigil
Vigil
A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...
and lantern
Lantern
A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...
floating ceremony took place on the common on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
Memorial Day in 2006.
A charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
made in 1211 by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
formalised the holding of an annual Fair in the area of the Common, granting the right to Barnwell Priory
Barnwell Priory
Barnwell Priory was an Augustinian priory at Barnwell in Cambridgeshire, founded as a house of Canons Regular.The priory was home to the Barnwell chronicler, an anonymous chronicler who wrote about the reign of King John.-References:...
. Midsummer Fair was held from June 22–25 in the area around the modern Elizabeth Way
Elizabeth Way, Cambridge
Elizabeth Way is a road in northeast Cambridge, England. It is designated the A1134 and forms part of Cambridge's inner ring road. At the northern end is a roundabout forming a junction with Milton Road...
. It was one of four important annual fairs in the city, the largest being Stourbridge fair
Stourbridge fair
Stourbridge fair was an annual fair held on Stourbridge Common in Cambridge, England. At its peak it was the largest fair in Europe and was the inspiration for Bunyan's "Vanity Fair"....
.
Grazing
On 7 April 2007, after a period of time during which there had been no cattle on the common for a number of years, a small number of Red Poll
Red Poll
The Red Poll is a dual purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century.-Description and uses:The cattle are red, preferably deep red with white only on the tail switch and udder. They are naturally polled...
bullocks, owned by a Cambridge resident, were introduced to the common. The grazing of cattle on the common is controversial, given the other uses to which the common is put, which may conflict with grazing.
Designation as a Common
Midsummer Common is registered pursuant to the provisions of the Commons Registration Act 1965.Over time the common has become less like a typical British common and more like an area of city parkland. Street lighting and many tarmac paths are present on the common, and it has become a major route for those cycling and walking into work in the town from the surrounding expanding residential areas.
Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council may refer to:* Cambridge City Council, England* Cambridge City Council, Massachusetts, USA* Cambridge, Ontario City Council, Canada...
use the term park when describing the common:
Midsummer Common is classified as a Common located in an urban landscape in the centre of the city. The landscape setting affords the park opportunities to host large events in a variety of formats and scale.
Jesus Green
Jesus Green
Jesus Green is a park in the north of central Cambridge, England. It is located north of Jesus College, hence the name. Jesus Ditch runs through Jesus Green. On the northern edge of Jesus Green is the River Cam, with Chesterton Road on the opposite side. To the east is Victoria Avenue and beyond...
was separated from Midsummer Common in 1890 when Victoria Avenue was built. Jesus Green has since clearly become a park, and is no longer maintained in a state suitable for grazing. In 1930, Jesus College
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
exchanged land currently between the Cutter Ferry bridge and Elizabeth Way for part of Butt's Green on the Jesus College side of Victoria Avenue.
Butt's Green
Butt's Green is an area which historically was used for archeryArchery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
butts, it is now essentially part of Midsummer Common. The Butt's Green area is less disturbed by events than the other areas and tends to have a wider diversity of plant life.
Antisocial behaviour
Midsummer Common, along with wide swathes of Cambridge City, has been a designated area under Section 20 Subsections (3) to (5) of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003
The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which almost entirely applies only to England and Wales. The Act, championed by then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, was passed in 2003...
. During much of Winter 2006/7 this order only applied in the evenings and apparently applied to the whole common; as of February 2007 a new authorisation which was brought into force on the 3rd of January 2006 and lasting for six months was publicised. This only applied to the boundary path, and one corner of the common. The area of the common designated under the act does not include the public toilets or the area in which half of the City's redeployable CCTV cameras have been deployed within 100 m of each other.
To quote from the order made by Superintendent Simon Megikcs:
I give this order with the consent of the Cambridge City CouncilCambridge City Council, EnglandCambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, based in the city of Cambridge.-Activities:The council provides various facilities and services within the city...
on the grounds that despite interventions to curb significant and persistent antisocial behaviour caused by groups of persons collecting and settling in the local area such problems persist. This has led members of the local business community to feel intimidated and harassed. Conduct of persons includes street drinking and rowdy behaviour verbally abusing and intimidating passers by, urinating in the street, allowing dogs to run off their leads, drug misuse in public toilets rough sleeping and aggressive begging and street drug misuse and purchase leading to an influx of street dealers.
This applies to a large area of Cambridge including Mill Road
Mill Road, Cambridge
Mill Road is a street in southeast Cambridge, England. It runs southeast from near to Parker's Piece, at the junction with Gonville Place, East Road, and Parkside. It crosses the main railway line and links to the city's ring road . It passes through the wards of Petersfield and Romsey, which are...
, Parker's Piece
Parker's Piece
Parker's Piece is a flat and very roughly square green common located near the centre of Cambridge, England. The two main walking and cycling paths across it run diagonally, and the single lamp-post at the junction is commonly known as Reality Checkpoint...
, Christ's Pieces
Christ's Pieces
Christ's Pieces is Victorian park in the east of central Cambridge, England, with flower beds and ornamental trees. The area acts as an important publicly accessible open grassed area for the city centre. It is located to the east of Christ's College and to the north of Emmanuel College...
, Midsummer Common, Brunswick Gardens and Riverside.
Designated Public Places Order
Cambridge City Council believe that a Designated Public Places OrderDesignated Public Places Order
Designated Public Place Orders give police officers discretionary powers to require a person to stop drinking and confiscate alcohol or containers of alcohol in public places...
cannot be applied to the common, such an order might be a more appropriate manner of dealing with alcohol related anti-social behaviour on the common.
The Council are applying for open-ended “premises licenses” for the whole extent of the open spaces. Owing to what we think is an unintended quirk in the legislation, DPPO controls cannot be enforced on land where a “premises license” is in force. Premises Licences are “in force” for the whole period during which they are valid, not just for periods during which alcohol is being served. This would prevent the use of DPPO powers on these open spaces and could therefore give rise to a displacement issue if DPPO controls are in force in adjoining areas. We understand that this problem has been raised with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, but do not know whether steps will be taken to address it."
Representative associations
The Friends of Midsummer Common is a society inaugurated in October 2006, initially made up of owners of residential property surrounding the common. Its founding chairperson was Geoffrey King who resigned from the Brunswick & North Kite Residents Association before setting up the Friends of Midsummer Common. Their objectives include: "to work with organisers to ensure that events have minimal impact and cause no nuisance to local residents;".Alistair Wilson, Cambridge City Council's Green Space Manager was reported to have wanted a Friends of Midsummer Common group set up in May 2006.
Camboaters Community Association is an association of residential boaters on the Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
.
There is also a local resident's association known as the Brunswick & North Kite Residents Association, BruNK.
Businesses on the Common
The Midsummer HouseMidsummer House
Midsummer House is a restaurant located in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. , the restaurant holds two stars in the Michelin Guide.. It used to be owned by TV presenter Chris Kelly....
restaurant, which currently holds 2 Michelin Stars, and the Fort St George
Fort St George In England
The Fort St George In England is the oldest public house on the River Cam in Cambridge, England.The Grade II listed timber framed building on Midsummer Common dates in part from the 16th century, and although "much altered and enlarged over the years, still has considerable charm...
public house are both on the riverside on the common.
Panorama
External links
- Friends of Midsummer Common
- Cam Conservators
- Camboaters — association of houseboat residents
- The Red Poll Cattle society
- Midsummer Common
- Cambridge City Council MANAGEMENT OF EVENTS ON MIDSUMMER COMMON — 16th November 2006