New local partnership to deliver a brighter future for Grantchester Meadows

 

• King’s College Cambridge and Cambridge Past, Present & Future will work together to help maintain and improve one of Cambridge’s iconic green spaces.
• The two partners reached an agreement on 14 February 2025.
• Cambridge Past, Present & Future also announces that it has been gifted the Orchard Tea Garden at Grantchester to maintain for future generations.

 

One of Cambridge’s iconic green spaces is set for a brighter future after two Cambridge partners have agreed to work together to ensure that it can be enjoyed by future generations and be better for nature.

 

Grantchester Meadows is one of Cambridge’s most picturesque landscapes. The 50 acres of meadows run alongside the banks of the River Cam between Cambridge and the historic village of Grantchester. Attracting thousands of visitors each year, the meadows have been enjoyed for over a century for walking, picnicking, punting, swimming and nature and the scenery. The meadows were enjoyed by the Bloomsbury Group in the first half of the 20^th century and also feature in the poem "Watercolor Of Grantchester Meadows" by Sylvia Plath and a 1969 song by Pink Floyd.

 

The meadows are owned by King’s College and have historically been leased for grazing cattle. However, a rapidly growing population of residents and tourists over the past 20 years has put the meadows under increasing pressure. The meadows have become treated more like one of the city’s parks and commons and there are competing interests between different uses of the meadows, including the ability to provide environmental benefits.

 

A new partnership between, King’s College and local charity Cambridge Past, Present & Future has just been agreed, so that Grantchester Meadows can be better maintained and improved for the benefit of nature, the environment and people.

 

“We’re pleased to partner with Cambridge Past Present & Future to ensure that Grantchester Meadows remains well-cared for and accessible to the Cambridge community and beyond,” said a King’s College spokesperson. “Their deep commitment to nature and working with local residents ensures that they will be effective stewards of one of the city’s treasured green spaces.”

 

Cambridge Past, Present & Future will be responsible for the management of the meadows on a day-to-day basis. The charity already owns and manages other green spaces including Wandlebury Country Park, Coton Countryside Reserve and Barnwell Meadows. They also recently became the owners of Grantchester Tea Garden, which was gifted to the charity by the former owner, Robert Callan, after his death.

 

Cambridge Past, Present & Future has a historic connection to Grantchester Meadows. From its first foundation in 1928 the charity was concerned to protect the historic village of Grantchester and the countryside setting along the River Cam. The charity purchased Skater’s Meadow at the northern end of the meadows and raised funds to pay King’s College to take out legal covenants on the college’s land alongside the river to protect it from possible development. In the 1930s a ring road was proposed to be built through the meadows and the charity’s efforts forced it to be delayed. World War II then intervened, and the road was never built. The charity also supported the creation of a green belt for the city which gives better protection through the planning system for special places like Grantchester Meadows.

 

The charity’s Chair, Karen Rothwell, is delighted: “Thanks to the generosity of a supporter's legacy, we have inherited the Orchard Tea Garden at Grantchester and have committed to ensure its long-term future as a heritage asset, and we own Skater’s Meadow at the opposite end of the meadows. It makes perfect sense for our charity to manage the land between these two special places. We welcome the investment that King’s College is making in the meadows, and we are very pleased to be working in partnership with them. We will use our expertise to enhance the meadows' conservation management and visitor experience and hope that, combined with effective engagement with local communities, we will help to improve the site's ecological value, maintain the public’s enjoyment and ensure the landscape is protected.”

 

Cambridge Past, Present & Future’s Estate Manager, Allan Scott-Davies, explains what to expect “There won’t be any immediate changes to the meadows but one of our Park Wardens will be present at busy times between Easter and September to talk with visitors and help them appreciate the meadows, including organising some guided walks. We are recruiting for seasonal wardens to help us with this work and keen to hear from people with relevant experience. We intend to work with the communities in Newnham and Grantchester, as well as user groups, to better understand some of the problems and to work with them to develop a longer-term plan for how the meadows could be improved for nature and the environment. Once we have that plan, we can start implementing the changes with the support of the people of Cambridge and King’s College. We have created a page on our website where people can find out more about our work at the meadows and we hope this will also answer any questions that people might have.” https://www.cambridgeppf.org/grantchester

 

Lindsay Birkett, the owner of Orchard Tea Garden Ltd which has the lease for operating the Orchard Tea Garden at Grantchester commented “I feel that my role here is to ensure that The Orchard continues to exist in its truest form so that people may long continue to bask in the sunlight with tea and homemade scones in a place that like many Cambridge residents, I have frequented since I was a child. To ensure the longevity of our trees and our continued status as an orchard, we have enlisted the expertise of The Heritage Fruit Tree Company who are using our hand-drawn 1800s planting plan to help us replant some of the original apple tree varieties. We are pleased to be working with Cambridge Past, Present & Future and invite all members and patrons of Cambridge Past, Present & Future to enjoy 10% off at the Orchard Tea Garden”.

 

 

About Cambridge Past, Present & Future

Cambridge Past, Present & Future is a local charity that protects the beauty of Cambridge and its environment.  Its 2,000 members support the charity in its work to care for local countryside and heritage and it campaigns to influence the future of greater Cambridge. More information about the charity and its work is available at https://www.cambridgeppf.org

 

About King’s College

King’s College was founded in 1441 and is one of 31 colleges in the University of Cambridge. With its long history of bold thinking, King’s is globally recognised for its academic excellence, leadership in research, and Chapel and Choir. https:// www.kings.cam.ac.uk

 

About Orchard Tea Garden at Grantchester

In 1897, Mrs Stevenson of Orchard House who served tea and cake in her garden, was asked by a group of Cambridge students if they could enjoy their tea in the neighbouring orchard and thus the Orchard Tea Garden began. Throughout the early 1900s, The Orchard was frequented by now famous writers, intellectuals and artists collectively known as the Bloomsbury Group. Since acquiring The Orchard Tea Garden in 2023, Lindsay Birkett the current operator has begun working towards the restoration and preservation of this historic site. A refurbishment is planned taking inspiration from the Bloomsbury Group and in particular, their summer retreat, Charleston House.