Here at Madingley Rise Site, stories whisper from every brick. This site is more than just a location. It’s a tapestry woven from astronomical observation and geophysical discovery.
Madingley Rise Site began with Professor Hugh Newall. He was an astronomer seeking a place to build his home near the Cambridge Observatory. In 1891, he had Madingley Rise built. He also ensured stables were built too. These faced a small courtyard. Today, they connect to the Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows.
Imagine the scene back then. The coach house held a trap, a landau, and a luggage car. Mrs Newall even had a picnic bus. For special occasions, there was a brougham. The coach house couldn’t fit them all. Overflow vehicles were kept across Madingley Road. This was on Professor Newall’s 32 acres at Vicar’s Farm.
Beyond the coach house were the stables. Four horses lived there. Union Jack, Winsome, Mignonette, and Deuce. Mignonette and Deuce were black horses. They drew the brougham. There was also a workshop. When I worked in the office above, the stables still existed.
Newall left his post at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1890. He wanted to work at the Observatory. He ran the telescope inherited from his father. The University leased land to him. This allowed him to build a house within 500 yards of the Observatories. More land was leased from St John’s. This created paddocks for the horses. It also grew alfalfa for their feed.
In 1901, Mr Arthurs became the coachman. He lived in a flat above the stables. It had a bedroom and a living room. Mr Arthurs drove his master around Cambridge. Newall’s outfit was one of the last coach and horses seen locally.
Arthurs married in 1908 and had a family. They needed more space. Two bungalows were built in the field. One was for the Arthurs family. The other was for a gardener.
After Professor Newall died in 1944, he left Madingley Rise to Trinity College. The house was leased to private tenants. In 1955, the School of Geodesy was upgraded. It became the Department of Geodesy and Geophysics. The University took over the house. It housed the new Department. Alterations were made to the house and stables.
In the mid-1960s, Drum Matthews had his office in Arthurs’ former bedroom. The living room had chart cabinets. It also had storage racks for maps. Drum used the hay loft to keep his charts. He searched for lineations through the profiles. Marcia Miller used a small workshop. She prepared samples for her husband’s geochronology work.
In 1980, the Department of Earth Sciences was created. The workshop, hay loft, and chart office were modified. They accommodated equipment for Jim Long and his team. They operated the ion probe.
Around 1995, the BP Institute was under construction. Arthurs’ former bedroom, living room and hayloft became bedsits. These were for visiting scientists. The coach house and stables were converted. They became a seminar room for the BP Institute.
Madingley Rise Site has evolved greatly. It went from stables to scientific innovation. It now stands as a testament to Cambridge’s dedication to research and discovery. It’s a place where the echoes of the past still resonate. They fuel the discoveries of the future.