Category Archives: Cambridge

Object of the Month: August

Posted on 24/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

This month’s object is a painting from the Museum of Cambridge: it depicts the famous carrier Thomas Hobson, whose method of business brought the expression ‘Hobson’s Choice’ into the language, and who was a great benefactor of the town of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, History, Literature, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

All Saints’ Church

Posted on 17/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

I was walking up Jesus Lane the other day, and All Saints’ church was open. This Victorian pile was, for a long period in my Cambridge life, locked and threatened with demolition. Only about one hundred years after it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cambridge, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Compositae

Posted on 11/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

… or Asteraceae, if you prefer, are basically the daisy family, ranging in size from the largest sunflowers to the smallest common daisy, Bellis perennis, and encompassing shrubs, vines and trees as well as the familiar herbaceous varieties. In terms … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Phone Book

Posted on 05/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

One of the less likely treasures of the Museum of Cambridge is the two-sheet Cambridge telephone directory for 1896–7. (The National Telephone Company set up in Cambridge in 1892.) It is interesting equally for the names it lists as for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, History | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Graves of the Great and Good

Posted on 24/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

I had been meaning for ages to visit the Ascension Burial Ground in north Cambridge, and a tweet from Zoe Cormack about the grave of J.G. Frazer and his wife finally got me off the sofa and out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, Gardens, History | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Professor of Basket-Making

Posted on 21/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

In the Museum of Cambridge (formerly the Folk Museum) not far from Murray Edwards College (formerly New Hall) but somewhat north of John Lewis (formerly Robert Sayle) there is a bizarre object donated in 1925 by Thomas Okey (1852–1935), first … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, History, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Retirement: Four Months In

Posted on 20/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

First thought: who would have thought it? I should have marked the first three months, or quarter-year, in June, but it passed by almost unnoticed. I see from my diary that on 20 June I was recovering from (and writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, Gardens, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Plant of the Month: July

Posted on 19/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

It doesn’t take a very fertile brain to extend the ‘Object of the Month’ concept to other areas: so welcome to ‘Plant of the Month’. This should perhaps be the titan arum (#tinytitan), which has flowered this year in Edinburgh … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Gardens | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment