Travel review: Luxury with a bit of literature
Tradition and innovation are the hallmarks of the university city of Cambridge, a venerable and beautiful seat of learning that is also a pioneering centre of excellence and research into science and technology.
That formidable combination of old and new is reflected at the University Arms. Established in 1834 as a coaching inn on Regent Street, it is the city’s leading luxury hotel.
Just a short walk from the centre of Cambridge, with its magnificent college architecture along the River Cam and opportunity to go punting on its serene waters, the hotel was reconfigured in the late Victorian era and remodelled again in the 21st century.
The historic hotel was damaged by a fire in 2013 that started on the top floor. This negative was turned into a positive by the owners who invested £80 million in a complete transformation that saw the hotel close for four years.
Much more than a mere refurbishment, this was a bold re-imagining of the building by architect John Simpson and interior designer Martin Brudnizki. Lesser 20th century additions were removed but they retained many of its best surviving features, such as stained glass windows, grand fireplaces, a sprung-floor ballroom (used for meetings and banquets), and in a nod to the iconic pillars that once fronted the premises, a magnificent carriage porch.
