Monthly Archives: May 2020

This post was first published in May 2020, when Cambridge and the rest of the UK was in the middle of the first Covid-19 lock down. It seems strange looking back on it now... Cambridge, along with the rest of the UK, went into government ordered lock down 0n 23rd March 2020, in an attempt to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Quayside would normally be a hive of activity at this time of the year. Now there is not a single person or punt to be seen. This thriving city, with a population of approximately 124,000 people, usually attracts over 5 million visitors every year. However the normally busy streets have been deserted ever since the start of lock down, at the end of March, as shown by these captivating images. A deserted Bridge street, the approach to Quayside If you've ever visited Cambridge then you will know that it's never this quiet. As well as the local residents and visitors, the city also has two universities, with approximately 30,000 students between them. The city feels like a ghost town (did you know that the Specials wrote their song Ghost Town about Cambridge?). Under normal circumstances, there are times when Cambridge feels quiet but never this quiet. This is usually when the Cambridge students have finished term and local students, who study elsewhere but live in the city, have yet to return during the holidays. But this is different. No students but somehow there's always a traffic cone... Normally at this time of year, many of the Cambridge colleges would be closed to visitors anyway, because it's exam term. However, now they are all closed, along with all [...]