Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire has a population of 650,000 and is 1,313 square miles in area. It is located in East Central England. The county town is Cambridge.

Industry

Food processing is an important industry as well as radio engineering and the manufacture of cement, bricks, and scientific instruments. Agriculture and light industry are the main economic activities. Wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, and fruits are grown.

Geography

The main rivers are the Ouse, with its tributaries, and the Nene. The fens were drained in a vast drainage project in 1653. Most of the area is low lying fenland, with the low, chalky East Anglian Hills in the south of the County and the Gogmagog Hills near Cambridge.

History

Cambridge was the old Celtic town Cumulodumn and became a Roman administrative centre. King William the Conqueror built a castle and a mint in the town. Central Cambridge still maintains much of its medieval atmosphere and appearance and the university buildings are worth a visit. The town of Ely has been an ecclesiastical centre for centuries. Cambridge University. dates from the early 13th century. Its oldest churches are St. Benet’s which was built in the late Saxon period; St. Edward's (begun 12th cent.), St. Mary the Great (1478), the university church; and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of four Norman round churches in England.