Perhaps you have been walking in front of the Fitzwilliam Museum on Trumpington Street and noticed the 'gutter' and maybe there was running water in it. If you have wondered what it is or the monument on the corner of Lenfield Road and Trumpington Road.This Hobsons Conduit and it was very important to the people of Cambridge.
The River Cam (the river that circles Cambridge) was not safe enough to drink from so Thomas Hobson built this between 1610 and 1614 to bring fresh water from Great Shelford (a small town south of Cambridge). The monument that you see was part of the fountain that used to be in the market square but was moved after a fire.The market used to be filled with buildings and wasn't open as seen today.
The conduit used to run down Trumpington Street, down to the Market place (it no longer does since the construction of Lion Yard in 1960), St Andrews Street (covered when making room for sidewalks) and out to Parkers Piece (to a pond that was filled in in 1827).
Quirky little things like this make me love this city even more :)
