Produced by Colin Bell, Christine P. Travers and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS IN CAMBRIDGE AND ELY MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd TORONTO [Illustration: _Ely Cathedral. Western Tower._] _HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS_ IN _CAMBRIDGE AND ELY_ BY THE Rev. EDWARD CONYBEARE AUTHOR OF "HISTORY OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE," "RIDES AROUND CAMBRIDGE," ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY FREDERICK L. GRIGGS MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON 1910 RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, Limited. BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. PREFACE The Highways of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely are usually regarded as unattractive compared with those of England in general. Nor is this criticism wholly unfair. The county does lack the features which most make for picturesque rural scenery. There are no high hills, little even of undulation, and, what is yet more fatal, a sad sparsity of timber. The Highways, then, seem to the traveller merely stretches of ground to be got over as speedily as may be, and he rejoices that their flatness lends itself so well to this end. It is however far otherwise with the Byways. These abound with picturesque nooks and corners. In every village charming features are to be found,--thatched and timbered cottages, hedgerow elms, bright willow-shaded watercourses, old-time village greens, and, above all, old-time village churches, often noble, and never without artistic and historical interest of high order. Few counties better repay exploration than Cambridgeshire. And if the Highways are devoid of attraction during their course through the country districts, they make up for it by the supreme beauty and interest of their passage through the towns. Cambridge itself is, as all know, amongst the loveliest and most interesting places in existence, with its world-famed colleges and its epoch-making history. And Ely stands in the very first rank amongst the glorious cathedrals of England. To introduce my readers, then, to the unique interest of these two places, with special regard to the points mostly passed over in guide-books, has been my chief purpose in the following pages. And to those who may think that a disproportionate amount of my space has been allotted to these, I would apologise by reminding them that the vast majority of travellers perforce confine their visits to such special centres, and have no time for exploring country lanes. But those who can make the time will find it (as this book, I hope, will show them) time well spent, and their exploration no small treat.