Arbury

Suburb of Cambridge, England

For other places with the same name, see Arbury (disambiguation).

Suburb in England

Arbury

Suburb

Church of the Good Shepherd

Arbury

Location within Cambridgeshire

Population| 9,883
OS grid reference| TL457611
Shire county|

* Cambridgeshire

Region|

* East

Country| England
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Post town| CAMBRIDGE
Postcode district| CB4
Dialling code| 01223
Police| Cambridgeshire
Fire| Cambridgeshire
Ambulance| East of England
UK Parliament|

* Cambridge

List of places

England
Cambridgeshire

52°13′24″N 0°07′01″E﻿ / ﻿52.2234°N 0.1170°E﻿ / 52.2234; 0.1170

Arbury is a suburb and electoral ward in Cambridge, England. As of the 2021 UK census, the ward had a population of 9,883 people.[1]

## History

[edit]

The area has been occupied since at least Roman times. In the 1950s, stone coffins from the 2nd century were discovered, as well as the remains of a Roman villa and mausoleum.[2] In medieval times, a circular earthwork of unknown age was visible just to the north of where Arbury Road meets Histon Road (now part of Orchard Park) and was known as Harborough or Arbury Camp. The earthwork was formerly around 100 metres in length, though its western half (extending into Impington) was no longer visible by the start of the 19th century.[3] It is thought to have been an undefended Iron Age enclosure to protect animals from predators.[4]

In medieval times, the area was common land, and local peasants were permitted to graze their sheep on the meadow between Lammas and Lady Day. In the 17th and 18th centuries the meadows were dug for earth to make bricks.[3]

Arbury was historically part of the parishes of Chesterton and Impington. The area was developed by Cambridge City Council from 1957 as a housing estate of around 100 acres.[3]

Electoral ward boundaries have changed substantially over the years and continue to do so.[5] As a result, much of what was originally in Arbury Ward is now in Kings Hedges Ward. This ward was formed out of the northern area of the original Arbury Ward, [6] and includes the northern part of the original Arbury estate along with community facilities such as Arbury Community Centre.[7] The ward system in the Arbury district has little to do with historical facts - and re-warding has seen large areas placed in 'Arbury Ward' which have nothing to do with the original estate or the area's history - including Stretten Avenue, and Garden Walk. In the 're-warding' by Cambridge City Council in 2021, Arbury Ward 'Lost the Chesterton triangle, gained Garden Walk, Warwick Road area and Arbury Court'.[8]

In 1980, local primary schools took part in a project called 'Arbury 1980' - which traced the history of the district back to the iron age and resulted in the 1981 book 'Arbury Is Where We Live!' [9]

## Local life

[edit]

The community is served by the Church of the Good Shepherd,[10] a red brick church designed by Stephen Dykes Bower. The chancel was built in 1958 and the nave in 1963–4. Opened in 1963, it became the parish church of its own parish in 1969. The Arbury community centre opened in 1974, which is also home to the Arbury Community Church.[3][11]

The Roman Catholic community of Arbury worship at St Laurence's church in Milton Road.

Arbury Court houses a post office, library, supermarket and other local shops. The Carlton Arms public house lies on Carlton Way,[12] which follows the route of the Roman Akeman Street. Crime rates are lower here than in many parts of central Cambridge.[13]

Each June a community carnival is held in Arbury Town Park.[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Arbury (Ward, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
2. ^ "Arbury's Roman past revisited". University of Cambridge. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
3. ^ a b c d "A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 9: Chesterton, Northstowe, and Papworth Hundreds". Victoria County History. 1989.
4. ^ Sallie Purkis (1981). Arbury Is Where We Live!. EARO. ISBN 9780904463897.
5. ^ Rosenstiel, Colin. "Historic Maps of Wards". Retrieved 29 September 2019.
6. ^ "Cambridge City Council Elections - Arbury Ward website/".
7. ^ "Arbury Community Centre website". Retrieved 13 January 2013.
8. ^ "Cambridge City Council Elections - Arbury Ward website/".
9. ^ Sallie Purkis (1981). Arbury is where we live. EARO.
10. ^ "The Good Shepherd". www.churchofthegoodshepherd.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
11. ^ Arbury Community Church
12. ^ "Pub Review: Carlton Arms". ALE (313). CAMRA Cambridge branch. Spring 2004. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
13. ^ Police.uk crime map Archived August 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
14. ^ "Home". Arbury Carnival. Retrieved 23 June 2025.

* v
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Electoral wards of Cambridge City Council

Current wards|

* Abbey
* Arbury
* Castle
* Cherry Hinton
* Coleridge
* East Chesterton
* King's Hedges
* Market
* Newnham
* Petersfield
* Queen Ediths
* Romsey
* Trumpington
* West Chesterton

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