Arbury is a suburb and
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, England. As of the
2021 UK census, the ward had a population of 9,883 people.
History
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. 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
Impington is a village and civil parish about 3 miles north of Cambridge city centre, in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It forms part of the Cambridge built-up area. In 2011 the parish had a populati ...
) was no longer visible by the start of the 19th century.
It is thought to have been an undefended
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
enclosure to protect animals from predators.
In medieval times, the area was common land, and local peasants were permitted to graze their sheep on the meadow between
Lammas
Lammas (from Old English ''hlāfmæsse'', "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking world, English-speaking countries on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in referenc ...
and
Lady Day
In the Western liturgical year, Lady Day is the common name in some English-speaking and Scandinavian countries of the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrated on 25 March to commemorate the annunciation of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mar ...
. In the 17th and 18th centuries the meadows were dug for earth to make bricks.
Arbury was historically part of the
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of Chesterton and Impington. The area was developed by
Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council is the local authority for Cambridge, a non-metropolitan district with city status in the United Kingdom, city status in Cambridgeshire, England. The council has been under Labour Party (UK), Labour majority control since ...
from 1957 as a
housing estate
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...
of around 100 acres.
Electoral ward boundaries have changed substantially over the years and continue to do so. 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,
and includes the northern part of the original Arbury estate along with community facilities such as Arbury Community Centre. 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'.
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!'
Local life
The community is served by the Church of the Good Shepherd, 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.
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, which follows the route of the Roman
Akeman Street. Crime rates are lower here than in many parts of central Cambridge.
Police.uk crime map
References
{{Cambridge electoral wards
Geography of Cambridge
Wards of Cambridge