Newnham is a suburb of the city of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

in England. Historically, the name refers to a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

centred on a

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

on the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

, a short distance to the southwest of the city centre. The modern council ward of Newnham covers much of the west of the city. Several

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

colleges are situated in this ward, including Newnham, Wolfson, Robinson, Selwyn and Darwin. In modern times Newnham has become one of the most affluent areas of Cambridge and sometimes features in national quality of life surveys.Newnham, Hemingford Abbots and Saffron Walden among best places in UK to live, Sunday Times says
Newnham also has the lowest violent crime rates in the city, se

/ref> Newnham includes Grantchester Meadows and Lammas Land, a recreation ground and playground.

History

The early hamlet of Newnham was situated on the west bank of the

River Flit The River Flit is a short river in Bedfordshire, England. Its name is not ancient, but rather a back formation from Flitton which originally meant that the river was spelt with as ''Flitt'' rather than ''Flit''. Course The river rises as a sm ...

, on an island of permanently dry land. The surrounding land was liable to flooding, particularly during the winter months. A permanent cut of the river leads to the Newnham watermill, which predated the Norman conquest of 1066, and is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086. The hamlet was linked to the town of Cambridge by a series of small bridges and fords over the various channels of the

. A road led to the nearby village of

Grantchester Grantchester is a village and civil parish on the River Cam or Granta in South Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about south of Cambridge. Name The village of Grantchester is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Grantesete'' and ''Graunts ...

. In 1256, the

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

order of monks established a convent in Newnham, with a church, cloister, dormitory and other buildings. Over the next 50 years, the order gradually moved from a contemplative tradition to more interactive religious practices. This, along with the fact that the convent was frequently cut off from Cambridge by winter flooding, led the order to move to Cambridge in 1292. In the late 19th century, after the

enclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

of the Cambridge fields, Newnham Croft was constructed – a middle-class suburb located partly within the Cambridge town boundary, and partly within the parish of Grantchester. In 1870, a church was built to serve the growing community. Initially, St Mark's Church on Barton Road ( A603) was a daughter church to the parish of Grantchester. Newnham Croft was incorporated into the borough of Cambridge in 1911; Newnham was created as a separate parish in 1918. It is served by Newnham Croft Primary School. From 1885, Sir George Darwin (son of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

) lived in

Newnham Grange Newnham Grange () is a Grade II listed house on Silver Street, Cambridge, next to the River Cam and The Backs. Since 1962 it has been part of Darwin College, Cambridge. History and residents The building was built in 1793 for the family ...

(built in 1793), where he raised his children (including Sir Charles Darwin and Gwen Raverat). After the death of Sir Charles, son of Sir George, the building was acquired by the newly founded Darwin College.

Councillors

Members of Cambridge City Council for Newnham ward have included: *

Ruth Cohen (economist) Ruth Louisa Cohen (10 November 1906 – 27 July 1991) was a British economist, who served as Principal of Newnham College of the University of Cambridge from 1954 to 1972.Sheila M. Edmonds, 'Economist with milky vision', ''The Guardian'', 3 Augus ...

, former Principal of Newnham College * Robert Edwards (physiologist), Nobel Prize winner *

Lucy Nethsingha Lucy Kathleen Nethsingha (born 6 February 1973) is a British Liberal Democrat politician, a member of Cambridgeshire County Council since 2009. She was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England from 2019 until the Unit ...

, MEP *

Wendy Nicol, Baroness Nicol Olive Mary Wendy Nicol, Baroness Nicol (née Rowe-Hunter; 21 March 1923 – 15 January 2018) was a British Labour Co-operative politician. Career The daughter of James and Harriet Rowe-Hunter, she was educated at Cahir School, Ireland. From 194 ...

Julie Smith, Baroness Smith of Newnham Julie Elizabeth Smith, Baroness Smith of Newnham (born 1 June 1969) is an academic specialising in European politics and a Liberal Democrat politician. From 2003 to 2015, she was a local councillor on Cambridge City Council. Since September 2 ...

References

External links

St Mark's Church, NewnhamCambridge City Council
{{Cambridge electoral wards Wards of Cambridge History of Cambridge