The city of Cambridge is located in the heart of a unique part of the English landscape known as the Fens.

These were originally a large area of marshland with small isolated communities living on “islands” above the marshes - Cambridge being one such community.

The Fens have since been drained to provide an extensive area of flat, fertile land.

In the First Century AD the Romans reached the area and built a fort on the banks of the River Cam, and a town quickly grew up around it.

After the Roman Empire left the area, the town went into a period of decline. It wasn’t until the Norman invasion in the 11th century that Cambridge once again prospered.

Then in the early 13th century, a deciding factor in the development of the town occurred - the scholars arrived.

This was due to a period of unrest at Oxford University, which resulted in some of the students looking for somewhere else to study. Cambridge, with its religious academics seemed an obvious choice.

Like Oxford, Cambridge’s academic roots lie in monastic traditions, and so the University of Cambridge is made up of separate colleges, each with their own unique histories and traditions.

Over the next centuries more than 30 colleges were founded, and Cambridge University gained a reputation as a centre for academic excellence.

The University has always played a prominent role in the town, and like Oxford, this has often resulted in “town and gown” disputes.

In the past these disputes have often been bloody, but today the “town and gown” divide is more of a friendly rivalry than a conflict.

Despite this similarity, Cambridge is very different from Oxford in that it has never undergone significant commercial or industrial development.

As a result it retains a very picturesque, rural feel to it - a picture postcard vision of England that makes it a favourite with tourists.