OS Maps are fantastic - not only do they guide us and keep us safe on high mountains, they also enable us to discover hidden away treasures in the middle of busy cities. My non-writing life takes me all over the country and, whenever I can, I try to do a spot of exploring.
Last week I was in Cambridge and had an afternoon to myself to explore the city. It was a bright sunny day and the place was heaving, so I kitted myself out with a £1 walking guide and set off. The guide was perfect for navigating me around all the "must see" honey pots but I was keen to stretch my legs along the river - cue my OS map!
I spied a rather pleasant river walk so set off to explore. It's hard to believe but although I was less than half a mile from the jam packed city centre I hardly saw another soul.
As I crossed the river I noticed what I thought were the remains of a large building but, it turns out, it was actually the complete remains of a fabulous Victorian folly known as Hodson's Folly.
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| Hodson's Folly |
It was commissioned by John Hodson (a butler at nearby Pembroke College) and built around 1897 - purportedly to enable him to keep an eye on his daughters when they were bathing in the river while he tended to his nearby land. The folly itself is at the far end and the walls were erected later (1904) to give additional privacy.
Like the many other thousands of visitors in Cambridge that day I took plenty of photos of the colleges, chapels and other landmarks - but I'm pretty sure I'm one of only a handful who ventured out and found this little gem.
(And, just for the record - here are all the other lovely things I saw)
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| The Mathematical Bridge |
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| Kings College |
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| Trinity College |
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| Apple tree grown from a cutting from Sir Isaac Newton's "gravity" tree |
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Henry VIII - note missin scepter - it was replaced
with a table leg by students in the late 1800's |
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| St John's College |
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| The Round Church |
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| A busier stretch of river |
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