One of the most recognisable structures on the Cam, Queens’ College bridge was originally built in 1749 by James Essex the Younger. Since then it has been rebuilt twice to the original design of William Etheridge, once in 1866 and again in 1905. In 1866 the bridge deck was changed from a stepped design to the current sloped deck. In 1905 a complete rebuild of the bridge was required due to weathering of the original oak structure.

William Etheridge’s design was based on work by James King on what has become known as tangent and radial trussing. Originally used to create the temporary formwork used in the construction of London Bridge, the arch describes an arc of a circle. The main members lie tangent to this circle and their arrangement is designed to ensure they are in compression only with very little bending moment. The connections between these main members transfer compressive stresses. The radial members are fixed normal to the circle of the arch and they support the top rail as well as making the bridge lattice into a more rigid structure. The bridge deck is then attached to the bottom of the radials near the intersection of two tangents.

A much admired footbridge across the River Cam, connecting the old and new parts of Queens’ College in Cambridge. Constructed of timbers bolted together, it appears to be an arched bridge but is composed of straight segments. It was rebuilt most-recently in 1905 and remains in use.

The Mathematical Bridge is a rare survivor of 18th century tangent and radial trussing techniques. It became a Grade II listed structure in April 1950, despite only being a replica.

After a good nights sleep we made our way across the courtyard to the breakfast room. The food options were extensive and the quality of the breakfast was fine but the service was disorganised.  We were given the cooked breakfast menu to peruse and the waiter came back very quickly by which time Mr C was away from the table looking at the buffet table. The waiter asked me if we would like to order off the cooked menu. I said that we hadn’t decided yet and he said he would come back in a few minutes. He didn’t. We had to flag someone else down to take order. When the waiter came back he struggled with our order because he did not have pen and paper to write it down. He had to come back to double check the order, by which time Mr C was back at the buffet table using the toast machine. Luckily I had been attentive when Mr C made his order and was able to correct the mistakes of the waiter. Eventually our breakfasts arrived correctly as ordered.

A couple was seated on the table next to us and they ordered tea and coffee which was delivered. They then went to to the cold buffet table to choose some breakfast options but whilst they were away their tea and coffee along with the cups and plates were cleared from the table and they had to re-order!

After breakfast we embarked on a walking tour around Cambridge taking in many points of interest. The morning air was rather cool and Mr C had forgotten to pack warm coat so he got rather chilly. We called into John Lewis to see if he could find a suitable fleece or jumper. Whilst there we had morning coffee, the service was exceedingly slow… We ventured further into the shopping centre looking for somewhere else that might sell a suitable garment. Whilst Mr C was pondering, I looked up and noticed the perfect shop for a warm garment; ‘The North Face’. After a bit of searching Mr C was able to find a suitable fleece for his requirements. Whilst walking around the city we encountered several demonstrations including one about the Catalonian situation and another by the Anonymous group of political activists.

We then made our way to Fitzbillies for lunch. Fitzbillies makes the ultimate chelsea bun (to a secret recipe). The queue was as long as my guidebook said it would be so we took the advice and ordered a takeaway to enjoy on the river bank.

Just as we had finished enjoying the tasty delight, Mr C exclaimed ‘Oh No!”.  I thought a bit of stickiness from the bun had landed on his trousers but it was even worse. A bird had flown over and sent him a sticky message. What a good job he had finished eating the tasty delight before the bird decided to drop by.

We continued our walk along the river pausing to watch punters on the river Cam before making our way to King’s College Chapel. The chapel is stunning and despite the number of visitors, it was peaceful. On the way back to the hotel, we returned to John Lewis to pick up a couple of items we had noticed earlier in the day, taking in another slow refreshment break. Back at the hotel we weren’t really surprised to find yesterday’s empty champagne bottle and bucket still in the room.

We had chosen to dine in a pub that was close to our hotel. The food was good, honest, home cooked pub food. Whilst we were dining the pub, filled up with students arriving for a pub quiz. The atmosphere was vibrant and full of life;however we decided to move to the pub next door before the quiz got into full flow. There were some colourful characters in the new pub, including a rather aggressive man who made me feel quite uncomfortable. He was arguing with the friends that he came in with. He left coming back some time later with a takeaway that he ate in a pub that serves food!

Next a buzz of students entered the bar, boys and girls in pairs with their middle legs tied together, buying shots and G&T’s whilst giggling with laughter as they squeezed themselves into an impossibly small corner of the bar before taking selfies with each other as they were leaving for their next pub.