Petty Cury

CAMBRIDGE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

“PETTY CURY” Petty Cury, is considered to be one of the most important streets in Cambridge. The earliest written documents with the name of this ancient street that have been chased down are those of 1330s, which belong to Corpus Christi College. In these documents, “Petty Cury” appears in the latin form of parva Cockeria; the Little Cury or Cooks’ Row. As it is contemplated, the street originally used to contain a big variety of pastry cooks’, booths and stalls and was distinguished by the adjective Petty (Petit) or Little from the main Cooks’ Row, which are located on Market Hill. Petty Cury was the first of all the streets in Cambridge that was paved with rounded cobbles. It was inaugurated on the evening of 25 October 1778 by the surveyor and workmen. Since that day, Petty Cury was thoroughly transformed several times. Until 1885, when the Wrestlers Inn was demolished, the street had a unique character. After this, the Victorians, who changed its style and character into a big blockbusting, rebuilt Petty Cury, which remained with this style until 1970. The main reason for which Petty Cury’s street is considered as an important one is because of its buildings, which were, are and everyone hopes that they will continue to be the Cambridge’s best buildings. In 1900s, if someone would like to comment on them regarding from west to east, he/she will notice The Red Lion, The Falcon, The Red Hart and Antelope and The Wrestlers. The Red Lion or The Lion Hotel, by 1900s was the only surviving inn. Within three years- in 1903- it doubled its size, extending east behind Petty Cury’s shops. The Red Lion’s yard was redecorated, to shape a large hall. The hotel became ‘the town’s chief commercial hotel’ (page 6), ‘the University Philarmonic Society, the first orchestra, played there, and several clubs, like Freemason’s, held their meetings there’ (page 5, “Walks Round Vanished Cambridge”). The Falcon was the largest galleried inn in Cambridge. It was built around 1500. In the 18th century, Falcon’s left side was rebuilt and the right remained open until 1820. The Falcon was formerly a very extensive inn. By the 1885 the galleries of Falcon had been disparaged by the Medieval Officer of Health and the inn was demolished in 1903. On the same side of the street, there was the Red Hart, which in its redevelopment became Alexandra Street. Alexandra Street was shaped in 1870 by the Red Hart and Antelope Yard. The new street was broader of the old yard and private. The Wrestlers Inn, was the Cambridge’s best Jacobean building; equivalent to King’s College Chapel. It was an essential meeting place until the 1840’s. In 1875 the Wrestlers was sold to Robert Sayle, the drapper, for 5,250 pounds; he sold it for demolition. The Wrestlers had only a court and not an inn-yard like all the other buildings.

In the 18th century, the western part of the south side of Petty Cury was rebuilt within 100 years (between 1750 and 1850) and the new buildings had three or four storeys each, contrasting to the old ones, which had two storeys, with dormers in the attic. The old inns, which appertain probably in the 16th century, were exceptionally high for their age. One century after – in the 19th century- the eastern part of the south side of Petty Cury was rebuilt too, between the years 1869 and 1900. “The 18th century demolished 16th century buildings and the 19th century demolished 17th century. 20th century ‘comprehensive redevelopment’ has demolished everything”(Walks Round Vanished Cambridge, p.30). The new Petty Cury street is not a street anymore; but a ‘super-block’. Nowadays, in the 21st century, Petty Cury remains one the most important and interesting streets of Cambridge. The architecture of the buildings has totally changed and a new style had been created, which lends that the technology has progressed and new materials and structures are invented all the time. Petty Cury street has developed into a big shopping center and a cultural center at the same time. The “classic” in combination with the “modern” gives in Petty Cury an exceptional style and character that everyone admires. The old buildings and the open area joint with the modern and futuristic shops, which are all up-to-date and popular throughout U.K, induce the visitors, even if their tastes may be totally dissimilar. One very important advantage of Petty Cury as being an economical factor and a shopping center is the big market that takes place every morning in the big square in the center, which consists of anything a customer could ask for. With regard to the future of Petty Cury, I believe that the street should keep the style that has now. There is no ambiguity that technology progresses all the time and that new techniques should take the place of the old ones but I think that the tradition is a very important factor to be taken seriously. Is there anything that could be suggested in order not only to progress in technology and create an up-to-date, modern and brand new Cambridge, but also to keep the tradition and the architecture of the old buildings? First of all, according to my opinion, no building should be demolished. All the old buildings, which “look after” the tradition and keep her alive, should stay as there are now or they could be just restored. New buildings with different styles structures and materials should be built serving different purposes and needs, in order to be useful for all the people, either citizens of Cambridge, in their everyday lives, or tourists in order to give them a good impression of Cambridge and help its economy and market. Only then, Cambridge should be a place, which everyone would admire for its ease of combining the “old” and the “new” in the same time; progressing in technology but keeping the tradition as well.

Bibliography - Bosanquet, H. (1974). Walks Round Vanished Cambridge, Petty Cury. Cambridge: Cokaygne Publishing. - Payne, S. (1983). Down Your Street. Ruth Smith (Ed.). Cambridge: The Pevensey Press.