Cambridge Market Place c.1890
Cambridge Market Place c.1890
These photographs are of a previously unpublished Victorian photograph album acquired at auction in Ely in 2026. It is one of a series documenting Cambridge and locations throughout Cambridgeshire.
You can the full album by clicking HERE.
Cambridge Market Place c.1890 MBHPC-024
Photograph 024
Reference: MBHPC-024
Title: Cambridge Market Place from an elevated viewpoint, Market Hill (north-east view).
Identification: Cambridge Market Place, Cambridge.
Confidence: Confirmed (99%)
Location: Market Hill, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.
Date: c.1880–1910 (subject to refinement).
Photographer: Unknown.
Photographic Process: Gelatin silver print (probable).
Description: An elevated view looking across Cambridge Market Place during a busy market day. The Gothic Market Fountain, erected in 1855, stands prominently at the centre of the square, surrounded by closely packed market stalls. Beyond are the commercial buildings lining the north side of Market Hill, while the spire of St Andrew the Great rises above the surrounding rooftops.
Notes: This photograph provides an exceptional documentary record of Cambridge Market Place at the turn of the twentieth century, preserving the arrangement of market stalls, commercial premises and the character of the city before the widespread introduction of motor traffic.
The elevated viewpoint appears to have been taken from the eastern side of Market Hill. On present evidence, the most likely location is an upper floor of 30 Market Hill (later occupied by Barrett & Sons), although the precise vantage point has not yet been conclusively established.
Cambridge Market Place c.1890 MBHPC-025
Photograph 025
Reference: MBHPC-025
Title: Cambridge Market Place from an elevated viewpoint, Market Hill (market traffic).
Identification: Cambridge Market Place, Cambridge.
Confidence: Confirmed (99%)
Location: Market Hill, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.
Date: c.1880–1910 (subject to refinement).
Photographer: Unknown.
Photographic Process: Gelatin silver print (probable).
Description: A second elevated photograph taken from the same viewpoint as MBHPC-024, looking more directly down onto the bustling Market Place. Horse-drawn carts, carriages and pedestrians move between rows of market stalls, while Victorian gas lamps and the cobbled surface of Market Hill are clearly visible. The image captures the everyday commercial activity of Cambridge during the late Victorian or Edwardian period.
Notes: Taken from the same elevated viewpoint as MBHPC-024, this photograph complements the preceding image by concentrating on the movement of people, horse-drawn vehicles and trading activity within the market. I particularly like the row of numbered horse drawn cabs waiting to pick up customers and weary shoppers.
The elevated viewpoint appears to have been from the eastern side of Market Hill. Current evidence suggests that the photographs were probably taken from an upper floor of 30 Market Hill, although this remains to be conclusively confirmed. Together, the two photographs provide an outstanding visual record of Cambridge's historic marketplace and preserve important evidence of its transport, commerce and urban environment at the beginning of the twentieth century.
© Michelle Bullivant. Images from the Victorian Photograph Album Collection. Please contact the author before reproducing.
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