We thought it would be good to invite comments (or emails - arburyestate@btinternet.com) from readers about what Arbury means to you. Of course, many have already made their views plain on here, but we like the idea of a dedicated blog post. Please be aware that we are referring to the original, historic Arbury area here, the area between Gilbert Road and King's Hedges Road, not modern electoral wards/misnamed apparently 'separate' housing estates.
From 'Arbury is Where We Live!' (1981): Community action has always been important in Arbury. The first Arbury community groups were formed with the building of South Arbury in the 1950s, and North Arbury has seen many fantastic community efforts - resulting in the likes of the Arbury Adventure Playground, Arbury Carnival, Arbury Community Centre and the Arbury Town Park.So, what does Arbury mean to YOU? How long have you lived here? Are you interested in Arbury history? What do you like about Arbury? What do you dislike? What makes Arbury special? Does ANYTHING make Arbury special in your opinion? Is Arbury an important name? We think so - it has links back to pre-history.
Or is simply calling the historic Arbury district North Cambridge a much better idea? "WE ARE CAMBRIDGE NORTH, DARLINGS!"
Should the name Arbury be consigned to history, applied willy-nilly to other areas via electoral wards, or be an area which makes historical sense?
Please take part. We'd love to hear from you.
We'll publish comments here and extracts from emails, with permission, in future posts. Be anonymous, state your name. Just tell us what you think.
Arbury history. The Arbury district with the old Arbury/Harborough Meadows and Furlongs marked on. The Meadows and Furlongs covered much of the land north of Arbury Road. Harborough was a variation on the Arbury name. Note the original course of Arbury Road from Milton Road to the Histon/Cambridge Road. This was so until the late 1970s when the Council built a new road, redirecting and extending the formerly dead-end King's Hedges Road across the Arbury Meadows by Arbury Camp, and lopping off the original end of Arbury Road. We've also marked on the sites of Arbury Court, Arbury Town Park (home of the Arbury Carnival) and the Guided Busway.
The Arbury area after the establishment of the Hall and Manor Farms, with the Manor Farm field names marked on. Does Arbury history enhance understanding of the area and provide a sense of belonging? Or is it a bore? Should we bury the name and simply insist on being a suburb called 'North Cambridge'? Should we celebrate the name, which links back to the oldest human-made landmark in the entire area - the earthwork surrounding a prehistoric fort or the equivalent of a prehistoric village? Should we simply pretend we're King's Hedges (historically, we are not), no prehistoric links, not historically relevant to the land covered, but it sounds 'posher' - although some are not keen on the name's hunting origins? Come and tell us!
The best thing about Arbury, the real area, is its distinctiveness. You step off the bus in South or North Arbury and you are on this estate of housing built continuously from the 1950s to the early 1980s. It has a vibe and is best standing united. West Chesterton is rich and gets loads of attention from the Council. No calling Chesterton Community College anything else - although it's hardly in Chesterton and doesn't only serve Chesterton. Snob value? "Branding". United Arbury was a working class challenge to all that. The history is great. It worked for Arbury is where we live, and people are still interested.
ReplyDeleteTrue conversation with a shopping delivery driver two days ago...
DeleteMe: 'I went to school in Arbury!'
Delivery Driver: 'Same!'
Me: 'Oh, you went to Manor?'
Delivery Driver: 'No, Chesterton.'
Arbury really is something other than councillors perceive it!
It would be great to rename West Chesterton 'Chesterton Overspill Ward', that's all New Chesterton was, suburban growth from the original Chesterton village due to its closeness to Cambridge and, hence, desirability. Rename Chesterton Community College something appropriate - ('Bateson Road Academy' - and fling some money at the Manor/North Cambridge Academy. As soon as the academy was built, Chesterton was in there demanding improvements. I noticed in a guide book to St Andrew's Church in Chesterton from the '80s that it mentioned Arbury in its history - Chesterton apparently meaning 'town by the camp or castle - the camp being the ancient British camp of Arbury or Harborough'. They've dropped that now. Cambridge goes backwards with its class system, not forward.
ReplyDeleteIts home. And when I look at the original arbury estate without the Kings Hedge rbbish it has form and meaning. The Kings Hedges name gives me the creeps. Im a vegan and I don't want to sound sanctimonious but the idea of the brutal medieval hunting sport makes me cold.
ReplyDeleteI like it because there are lots of green areas and trees but there are not enough bus shelters. If you've ever stood at that bus stop at Arbury Town Park with the wind whipping across it in autumn or winter you'll know what I mean. I take the name Arbury for granted. It's what just about everybody calls the original area and it's the government's fault that there are problems like drug abuse, not Arbury's. This doesn't stop a lot of sneering going on, but that's normal in Cambridge.
ReplyDeleteI just read your tweet - bloody hilarious. The modern Labour Party wouldn't support a 'united working class Arbury against well-heeled West Chesterton'! What century are you living in? It's all woke, Ariadne does misandry and letting weeds grow all over the place from Cambridge City Council these days. And breaking up established working class areas and calling them after royal hedged hunting warrens.
ReplyDeleteI don't live in Arbury anymore, I haven't since 2008, but I always smile when I see the Arbury bus because it brings back happy memories. I don't understand the separate King's Hedges thing, because that estate was a part of North Arbury and is not even an appropriate or very nice name anyway. I remember Arbury people for their kindness - when my Mum was ill they gave me lifts to hospital and helped me a lot. I love reading the history on here. I agree with others who say Arbury's problems weren't created by Arbury, but by governments. It's a great place and I'm really pleased to see it get some positive coverage.
ReplyDeleteI like Arbury. There is a major disconnect between what the Council calls Arbury and what people actually know it is, but that's because the PEOPLE actually got interested in the name and researched its history with Arbury Is Where We Live! This blog is just what we need. I recognise the 'Ariadne Syndrome' at the Council. The Guildhall is like a gilded palace for the woke and virtue signallers. It doesn't have much to do with Arbury, east Chesterton, Romsey Town or real life in general. Note the perfectly good trees they chopped down in Milton Road in the name of 'biodiversity'. They're fighting a big 'emergency' engendered by the likes of Klaus Schwab and his buddies at the World Economic Forum and the WHO - corrupt as hell. That's the perfect opportunity not to bother too much about us freezing in our houses and flats here in Arbury because we daren't put the heating on. Cambridge is rotten to the core when it comes to being poor. I read a few years ago that three of the poorest streets in England - based on official figures - are in North Arbury (King's Hedges ward). Not much made of that at all.
ReplyDeleteArbury is a fine place to live. There are lots of lovely people around here. Can I recommend the staff at Budgens in Arbury Court and the Tesco Express in North Arbury who are lovely and always have a friendly word? The Council force trendy stuff on the Arbury, like that awful mural on the side of Arbury Court. Who decided we must have it? Why not something less trendy like some nice flowers or a big sun? The idea of letting tall grassy weeds grow in nice cultivated areas is stupid. There are plenty of places where that happens anyway. The Council IS out of step with the majority of people. The history is good because things used to be better round here when the neighbourhood recognised its history and had a true sense of identity. It's a big broad inclusive sweep, from the iron age and Romans to today. The Cambridge elite apparently applauded it while secretly wanting to smash it.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a good place in many ways because the Council have let it go to pot and tried to break it up into 'North Cambridge' and 'Kings Hedges'. Only Chesterton gets to have an historic name. The Arbury Ward doesn't cover most of historic Arbury. And we keep getting Lady Mucks wafting down from the Shire Hall and Guildhall telling us how oppressed their sex is, how awful men are, and how wonderful they are. Ideological indoctrination, victimhood culture and narcissism. It means nothing to us trying to keep up with the bills.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't an Arbury. Estate agents advertise houses as Chesterton or North Cambridge. Arbury went a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteThis site has told me more about Arbury than I ever knew and makes the area seem just as interesting historically as the long recognised Chesterton, but without the budget lavished on West Chesterton, which is sad. Merry Christmas and happy 2023 to you!
ReplyDeleteThis is most interesting. If you ask somebody from Hawkins Road or nuns Way where they live they so often say "arbury" but the council says it different. The council is like the newspaper "The Guardian", which is a very snobbish paper. I vote Labour but the council is not about poor people really or trying to make us happy. It is all about being trendy and ignoring real problems. Arbury does ok because it still has some community spirit but the council is not to thank for most of it. That is very sad.
ReplyDeleteNorth Cambridge is OK - when applied to North Cambridge, including West Chesterton. It's not OK when applied only to the historic Arbury district (South Arbury and North Arbury, including the council's own cherished but misnamed King's Hedges). We end up with tinpot dormitory estates, while West Chesterton still enjoys the cream (dosh, dosh, dosh!) and recognition as an historic area.
ReplyDelete