Cambridge University Botanic Garden

CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Our View
The university's Botanic Garden comes as something of a surprise. This 40-acre oasis of beautifully landscaped gardens and glasshouses is close to the bustle of the city centre and yet if it’s peace you’re after then you’ll find it here. The garden opened on its present site in 1846, and showcases a collection of some 8,000 plant species, including nine national collections, among them geraniums and fritillarias. This Grade II heritage landscape features rock gardens full of alpine species, gardens of winter and autumn varieties, and even a tropical rainforest. You can relax in the Scented Garden, enjoy beds of herbaceous varieties and, best of all, see the finest collection of trees in the east of England. Photo credits: Bee Borders - Howard Rice
Facilities – at a glance
Assist dogs allowed
Refreshments
Suitable for all child ages
Features
- Suitable for children of all ages
- Parking nearby
- Cafe
- Facilities: Manual & motorised wheelchairs-prebooked
- Accessible toilets
- Open all year
- Opening Times: Open all year daily, Apr-Sep 10-6; Feb-Mar & Oct 10-5; Nov-Jan 10-4. (Glasshouses & cafe close 30 mins before garden). Please call to check Xmas closure. Both Brookside Gate & Station Rd Gate open daily
Also in the area
About the area
Discover Cambridgeshire
To the west of East Anglia is Cambridgeshire, a county best known as the home to the university that makes up the second half of ‘Oxbridge’ (the other half is Oxford). As well as its globally renowned educational credentials, it also has a rich natural history; much of its area is made up of reclaimed or untouched fens. These are low-lying areas which are marshy and prone to flooding. The lowest point in the UK is at Holme Fen, which is some 9 feet (2.75 metres) below sea level. Some of the fens had been drained before, but it was in the 19th and 20th centuries that wide-spread, successful drainage took place, expanding the amount of arable and inhabitable land available.
Ely Cathedral was built on an island among the swampy fens, but now sits among acres of productive farmland, albeit farmland criss-crossed by miles of flood-preventing watercourses. Oliver Cromwell was born in Ely, and his family home can still be visited. Cambridge itself is a beautiful and historic city, with any number of impressive old buildings, churches and colleges, and plenty of chances to mess about on the River Cam which gave the city its name.
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