St Botolph's, Cambridge

http://www.stbotolphs.net/images/stbotplan.gif

Note that this plan is NOT located on this site.  Links to it will be immediately removed if this infringes copyright or causes other issues.

St Botolph's with King's in the background.

We visited this church a few weeks back with our "London" grandchildren. The church was open.

St Botolph’s Church is dedicated to St Botolph, an abbot in East Anglia in the 600s, the patron saint of travellers. It is located where Trumpington Street and Silver Street meet.  The church was by the south gate of medieval Cambridge, through which travellers from London entered the town.   It was also the first church reached by travellers from the west who crossed the River Cam via Silver Street.  Norman and Saxon churches stood on this site before the existing church, which was built in the mid 1300s.

Nave

The most famous place named after Botolph is Boston, Lincs – “Botolph’s Town”.  Boston in the USA is named after this Boston.

Font

The tower, which is crowned with carved symbols of the 4 Evangelists, was added in the 1400s. The four bells were cast in the 1400s,when the carved rood screen was added. This is now the only medieval rood screen that remains in Cambridge. 

The font has a fine wooden cover and case that date from the 1600s. The pulpit dates from the 1700s. The lectern was made and given to the church in 1875 and the pews for the congregation in the nave were
installed in the late 1800s.

Bell ropes

Darwin's family were parishioners of St
Botolph's and there is a memorial to Darwin by the vestry door. 

Andrew Doket, a  Rector of St Botolph's in the 1400s, was instrumental in founding Queens' College.

Peacock butterfly

We rescued a beautiful Peacock butterfly that was trapped in the church. I put it on some grass by the main door.

See http://www.stbotolphs.net/ .
See also http://www.strideguides.com/cu/Place.aspx?ix=109&pid=6&prcid=27&ppid=910 .