Oliver Cromwell’s House
The Lord Protector’s family home offers a fascinating glimpse into the domestic life of the English revolutionary. Cromwell and his family moved to Ely in 1636, inhabiting this 13th-century home; the current kitchen dates from around 1215. The parlour recreates Mrs Cromwell working at her embroidery in front of the fire, while the study shows Cromwell busy at his desk, and the bedroom offers a tableau of his deathbed scene – the latter room is rumoured to be haunted. There’s also an exhibition detailing the English Civil War, period toys and, on 29 January, a historical fair – ideal for souvenir shopping.
King’s College Chapel
The iconic chapel is a superb example of late Perpendicular Gothic architecture, with the largest fan vault in the world. Building was started by King Henry VI in 1446 and took a century – and several monarchs – to complete, complicated by the tempestuous Wars of the Roses. King Henry VIII was responsible for the stained glass windows and rood screen, the latter celebrating his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Today, the chapel is home to worshippers and the college’s celebrated choir, whose Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service is broadcast to millions via the BBC every Christmas Eve.
Trinity College
The largest Oxbridge college in undergraduate numbers, Trinity has turned out six British prime ministers, physicist Sir Isaac Newton, poet Lord Byron (who purportedly kept a pet bear here), philosophers Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell, the “Cambridge spies” Philby, Burgess and Blunt, and the current Prince of Wales. It was founded by King Henry VIII in 1546 by combining Michaelhouse and King’s Hall colleges, and most of its major buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries, including Sir Christopher Wren’s library, the chapel and the Great Court – the latter being the site of the student run, as portrayed in Chariots of Fire.
Imperial War Museum Duxford
The village of Duxford became a fighter airfield in 1925, and, on the outbreak of the Second World War, home to three RAF squadrons. It saw considerable action during the Battle of Britain as an RAF sector station, and later hosted the US Air Forces responsible for daylight bombing of Germany. The Imperial War Museum requested permission to use one of the airfield’s hangars in 1969, and Duxford soon became a valued outstation of the museum. The site now houses an impressive collection: nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, naval vessels and artillery, as well as film, photographs and other artefacts.
