Hobson's Conduit, Cambridge

Hobson’s Conduit is a man made stream that runs through Cambridge’s university campus, and is most noticeable running next to Trumpington Street, in the south of the city centre. Cambridge’s fantastically well preserved centre retains many medieval features among its buildings. Hobson’s Conduit, which flows amongst the ancient college buildings, is another example of a Middle Ages invention that has survived within the city.

Cambridge is located in East Anglia, a peninsula of land north-east of London. East Anglia is a flat, dry area known for its arable farming. The area around Cambridge is called The Fens, and is known for its man made waterways which irrigate farm land across the region. This principle of agriculture was introduced to the growing city as a way of providing clean water for drinking and sanitation, particularly to the colleges at the city’s centre.

The conduit still runs close to Peterhouse and St. Catharine’s Colleges, entering the River Cam close to Silver Street. It was designed to draw water from the Nine Wells spring (now a nature reserve), south of the city. It was funded by five prominent local figures, including Thomas Hobson, who gave the conduit its name. Hobson was a notoriously shrewd local stable owner who also gives his name to the phrase ‘Hobson’s Choice’, as he offered buyers the choice of just one horse from his stable. A monument to Thomas Hobson stands next to the conduit on the corner of Lensfield Road.