For Open Cambridge 2025 we gave a talk that combined newly filmed drone footage of Mill Road, our collection of historical photos from sources such as the Cambridgeshire Collection, and the stories and voices of the residents of the area that we’ve collected since the start of the Mill Road History Project in 2013.
This was a live talk where we told you some of our favourite tales of Mill Road’s buildings using old photos and new drone shots to place them in context and hear some stories straight from the horse’s mouth using excerpts from our library of interviews with long-term residents.
Our thanks to Matthew Power (The Willcox Collective) and Gordon Davies (Cambridge Museum of Technology) for enabling the drone footage.
Date Tuesday 9 September 2025
Time 7:30pm – 9pm
Location Ross St Community Centre, Ross Street, Cambridge CB1 3UZ
Admission Free
Sources and References
As mentioned in the talk here is information about the sources used and where to go to find more about each location visited.
Donkey’s Common
You can read more about Donkey’s Common and the surrounding area on the Donkey’s Common Capturing Cambridge page and, in more detail, in the site report written by Allan Brigham and James Ingram.
Sinclair Building
This section was based on currently unpublished research by Joe McIntyre and Nicky Morland.
Mill Road Cemetery
The information about the cemetery was taken from the Mill Road Cemetery website and particularly their page on the Lodge and Mortuary Chapel.
Bath House
You can read more about the Bath House on the Bath House Capturing Cambridge page and, in more detail, in the building report written by Julia Ewans.
Liberal Club
The history of the Liberal Club is part of the history of Sturton Town Hall / The Kinema which you can read on its Capturing Cambridge page and in the building report written by Simon Middleton and Allan Brigham.
Brookfields Hospital
Some of this section was based on currently unpublished research by Mary Naylor and others. Many of the details can be found on its Capturing Cambridge page and in the document ‘Infectious Disease in Cambridge: The Cambridge Isolation Hospital and its evolution’ by Pat Richards, 1991.
The Lakes
Capturing Cambridge has pages on the Norman works and the Saxon works. A more detailed history can be found in the site report East Romsey Cement Works by John McGill. A useful resource also is the Cement Plants and Kilns in Britain and Ireland website.
General Resources
Mill Road History Website
Mill Road History YouTube channel
Capturing Cambridge – Mill Road Area
Capturing Cambridge – Building and Site Reports
Museum of Technology
Museum of Technology YouTube channel
Recording
The recording of the talk can be viewed on our YouTube channel or here.
Asa bonus you can view a short trailer we made for the talk below. This features drone footage and archive interview snippets that weren’t in the talk.