Blue Plaques in the Cam Valley

The Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Blue Plaque schemes highlight the people and moments that have shaped Cambridge and its surrounding villages, bringing history to life in the very places it unfolded.

Managed by the local charity Cambridge Past, Present & Future, the scheme celebrates stories of significance and connection, offering both residents and visitors new ways to see the area. Several of these plaques can be found in villages along the Cam Valley, making them easy to discover as part of a journey by rail.

Photograph of the blue plaque to John Stevens Henslow in the Botanic Garden. The inscription reads "Professor, Churchman, Botanist and Geologist. Innovator in universal education. A guiding light for his student Charles Darwin".

John Stevens Henslow – Cambridge University Botanic Garden (from Cambridge railway station)

A plaque in Cambridge University Botanic Garden honours botanist John Stevens Henslow, mentor to Charles Darwin, whose teaching helped shape evolutionary theory and generations of scientific thinkers.

John Stevens Henslow

The blue plaque at Lous Leakey's House. The inscription reads "Palaeoanthropologist whose study of early hominid fossils established that the origins and evolution of mankind began in Africa"

Louis Leakey – Foxton (near Foxton railway station)

Near Foxton station, a plaque recalls paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, whose work in East Africa transformed understanding of human origins, linking this quiet village to globally significant scientific discovery.

Louis Leakey

Photograph of the blue plaque to DNA. The inscription reads "Here at the Eagle, near the old Cavendish Laboratory Francis Crick and James Watson first celebrated the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA."

DNA – The Eagle Pub, Cambridge (from Cambridge railway station)

At The Eagle pub, a plaque marks where Crick announced the discovery of DNA’s structure in 1953—an iconic scientific moment, just a short walk from Cambridge station.

DNA "The Secret of Life"

A photograph of the dark red plaque to Philippa Pearce. The inscription reads "Her father having been the miller, she had grown up in the Mill House down the lane, which became an inspiration for her classic children's book Tom's Midnight Garden."

Philippa Pearce – Great Shelford (via Shelford railway station)

In Great Shelford, a plaque celebrates Philippa Pearce, author of Tom’s Midnight Garden, whose imaginative stories were inspired by the local river, mill, and timeless village surroundings.

Philippa Pearce

The blue plaque for Dr Elsie May Widdowson. The inscription reads "Developed and tested wartime rations, with bread made in the bakery formerly on this site."

Elsie Widdowson – Barrington (via Foxton or Shepreth)

In Barrington, a plaque honours nutritionist Elsie Widdowson, whose research on wartime diets and infant nutrition shaped modern public health and Britain’s understanding of food, resilience, and wellbeing.

Elsie Widdowson

Photograph of the blue plaque to Rupert Brooke. The inscription reads "Lived and wrote at The Orchard109-1911 and at The Old Vicarage 1911-1912."

Rupert Brooke – Grantchester (via Cambridge South)

Grantchester’s plaque marks poet Rupert Brooke, whose First World War verse captured an idealised English landscape, still visible today in the riverside scenery that inspired his enduring work.

Rupert Brooke