From Roman crossing to riverside quarter
The riverside at Quayside has a history reaching back around two thousand years: a Roman-period river crossing, a medieval trading port, reclaimed riverbank, a working dock, and now one of the city's six licensed punting stations.
A small Roman military camp is established on Castle Hill, overlooking the crossing of the River Cam. It is probably connected with Roman military activity around the revolt of Boudica in AD 60 and 61.
A settlement has developed around Castle Hill and the river crossing. The meeting of the crossing, the navigable river and the surrounding land routes was a major factor in Cambridge's early growth.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that a Danish army wintered at Cambridge. The town then came under Danish rule and developed as a military, administrative and trading centre.
Cambridge becomes an important inland port, linked to the North Sea by the Cam, the Great Ouse and the Wash. Overseas merchants use wharves in the riverside district known as the Holm, close to the present St Clement's Church. A medieval chronicle groups Cambridge with Norwich, Thetford and Ipswich as trading centres.
The King's Ditch, the boundary of the medieval town, is recut along a new route through what is now the Thompson's Lane area behind Quayside.
Wet riverside ground near Quayside is gradually reclaimed by laying down layers of material over earlier river silts. Read what the excavation found.
The recut channel of the King's Ditch is filled in while St John's College owns the land on both sides, and the boundary returns to its earlier line. Existing structures are cleared and a new layout of riverside buildings follows.
The Pickerel Inn is traditionally dated to 1608 and is one of several claimants to the title of Cambridge's oldest pub.
Brewers occupy a property on Thompson's Lane, adapting its buildings for brewing, storage and other commercial uses.
The current cast-iron Magdalene Bridge is built, replacing earlier wooden and stone crossings on the same spot. It is a Grade II listed structure today.
The modern Quayside development is generally dated to 1989, the date on a commemorative stone that also carries Magdalene College's motto, Garde ta Foy. It stands on the site of a former working dock and its commercial buildings.
After two recorded incidents of people falling into the river while getting on or off punts, Cambridge City Council authorises a lockable gate across Quayside's high middle steps.
Quayside is one of six river stations licensed for punting by the Conservators of the River Cam, and home to several restaurants and bars along the water's edge.
Where the name comes from
The name records the working dock that once stood here, with its wharves and commercial buildings. That trade ended in the later 20th century. A council report of 2008 put its end about thirty years earlier. The buildings you see today are largely a modern development. The waterside function has lasted: the quay became a mooring point, and eventually the launch site for the city's punts.
A bar called Punt Yard
The Punt Yard was a bar and restaurant at 6-8 Quayside. It officially opened on 25 November 2016 and was reported closed by February 2022. This website later adopted the Punt Yard name for its guide to Quayside and Cambridge punting.
What to look for
Magdalene Bridge
The single-span cast-iron bridge dates to 1823 and is Grade II listed. It carries Magdalene Street across the Cam, right above the punting station. Read the bridge's history.
The Magdalene motto stone
A large carved block records the date 1989 and bears Magdalene College's motto, Garde ta Foy, meaning "Keep Your Faith".
The gated river steps
Two sets of high, partial steps are built into the quay wall. A council safety report of 2008 suggested they were made for unloading high-sided boats when Quayside was a trading point. They stand well above the water, and after two recorded incidents of people falling into the river while getting on or off punts, the council authorised a lockable gate across the middle steps.
The Pickerel Inn
The Pickerel Inn stands at 30 Magdalene Street, a short walk across the bridge from Quayside. It is traditionally dated to 1608 and is one of several pubs claiming to be the oldest in Cambridge.
Who looks after Quayside
Responsibility for Quayside is shared. In a 2008 report, Cambridge City Council described itself as the freehold owner of Quayside, subject to its status as public highway, with Cambridgeshire County Council as the highway authority. The Conservators of the River Cam license punting on the river but, the report noted, not the landing stages themselves. Work at the river's edge also needed consent from the Conservators and the Environment Agency.
That is the position as the council described it in 2008. Arrangements may have changed since.
Sources
- Cambridge City Council, Historic Core Appraisal, The Historical Development of Cambridge. Used for the Roman camp and settlement, the river crossing, and the Danish army in 875.
- Victoria County History of Cambridgeshire, The city of Cambridge: Bridges. Used for the Great Bridge by 875 and the earlier bridges.
- Historic England, list entry 1331826, Magdalene Bridge, the Great Bridge. Used for the 1823 bridge and its Grade II listing.
- Richard Newman, 24 Thompson's Lane, Cambridge: An Archaeological Investigation, Cambridge Archaeological Unit. Used for the reclamation of the riverbank, the King's Ditch and the brewers.
- Cambridge City Council, Quayside Centre Steps, report and record of decision, 2008. Used for the river steps, the gate, the end of the river trade and who is responsible for Quayside.
- Cambridge City Council, Punting. Used for the six licensed punting stations.
Sources checked October 2026. Dates for the Pickerel Inn and the Punt Yard bar are from secondary accounts and are worded with that in mind.
See how the history connects to a visit today
Quayside's punting stations sit exactly where the old docks once stood.