Last Sunday signalled the start of the third series of hit ITV show ‘Grantchester’. But what do we really know about the village that has become the stomping ground of a ‘crime-fighting’ vicar, played by James Norton, and a war veteran turned police detective in Robson Green? Well, Grantchester which lies just a mile outside the city of Cambridge plays host to a number of famous pastimes which adds to its quintessential Englishness. These include the Boxing day-barrel race that brings all the local pubs together for a tradition that dates back to the 1960’s.The village also boasts the highest concentration of Nobel Prize winners including Rupert Brooke, Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf and Jeffrey Archer.To further accentuate its charm, Grantchester is home to some of the county’s most distinguished sites which have become central to the television show’s storylines. The Orchard that first served tea to Cambridge students in 1897 became a central hub for the writers of the show in the early days, as they would ride bicycles to the garden rooms from Cambridge station.
Moreover, the most romanticised and sought-after spot that spreads itself across the marshlands of the village is the meadows. In the show, you will often see Reverend Sidney Chambers peddling past the banks of the river Cam, which when the sun shines, is a hot bed for punts, picnics and swimmers to enjoy, as well as to write songs about (see Pink Floyd’s song of the same name).However, perhaps the most famed feature falls to the grade II listed Church of St. Mary and St. Andrew. The building features heavily in the series and has the tradition and authenticity that sums up the idyllic village that is clearly embracing the present, but is still rather blissfully pinned to its past. Video from Quite Great TV *** Visit the Official Website
Did you like our walk around the village of Grantchester? Well, then don't forget to tune in on ITV next Sunday for episode 2 of series 3 of Grantchester the series!
