Parker's Piece
Encyclopedia
Parker's Piece is a 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) flat and very roughly square green common located near the centre of Cambridge
, England
. The two main walking and cycling paths across it run diagonally, and the single lamp-post at the junction is commonly known as Reality Checkpoint
. The area is bounded by Park Terrace, Parkside, Gonville Place
, and Regent Terrace.
The grass is well manicured and it is known today chiefly as a spot for picnics and games of football
and cricket
, and serves as the games field for nearby Parkside Community College
. Fairs tend to be held on the rougher ground of Midsummer Common
.
In 1838, a feast for 15,000 guests was held on Parker's Piece to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria
.
. In that year, the college exchanged the land — at that time located well outside the town — with the town of Cambridge for the majority of Garret Hostel Green, an island on the River Cam
, and the site of the current Wren Library, Trinity College
. It was subsequently named after a college cook, Edward Parker, who obtained the rights to farm on it.
As a cricket ground, Parker's Piece was used for first-class
matches from 1817 to 1864.
In the 19th century, it was one of the principal sports grounds used by students at the University of Cambridge
and the site of numerous Varsity Match
es against Oxford.
, Master of Jesus College
(1838): "In walking with Willis we passed by Parker's Piece and there saw some forty Gownsmen playing at football. The novelty and liveliness of the scene were amusing!"
Parker's Piece has a special place in the history of modern football games
, as it was here that the Cambridge Rules of 1848 were first put into practice. They were very influential in the creation of the modern rules of Association Football
, drawn up in London
by The Football Association
in 1863. A plaque has been mounted at Parker's Piece bearing the following inscription:
. In a detailed investigation in to the evolution of football tactics based upon contemporary accounts, Adrian Harvey refers to the teams responsible for the early development of the passing game (including Sheffield, The Royal Engineers and Queens Park) but comes to the following conclusion about the finished, modern team product: "Curiously, the side that was generally credited with transforming the tactics of association football and almost single-handedly inventing the modern game was not a professional team but the Cambridge University XI of 1882. Contemporaries described Cambridge as being the first "combination" team in which each player was allotted an area of the field and played as part of a team in a game that was based upon passing". In a discussion by CW Alcock on the history of a "definite scheme of attack" and "elaborate combination" in football playing style, he states in 1891: "The perfection of the system which is in vogue at the present time however is in a very great measure the creation of the last few years. The Cambridge University eleven of 1882 were the first to illustrate the full possibilities of a systematic combination giving full scope to the defence as well as the attack"
to Oxford
), visitor coaches and a stopping point for local bus services. The street is also home to the city's police station and a fire station (which is under construction), as well as giving access to Parkside Community College
.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The two main walking and cycling paths across it run diagonally, and the single lamp-post at the junction is commonly known as Reality Checkpoint
Reality checkpoint
Reality Checkpoint is the name given to a large lamp-post in the middle of Parker's Piece, Cambridge, England, located at the intersection of the park's diagonal paths....
. The area is bounded by Park Terrace, Parkside, Gonville Place
Gonville Place
Gonville Place is a road in southeast central Cambridge, England. It forms part of the city's inner ring road. At the southwest end is the junction of Regent Street and Hills Road, where the road continues as Lensfield Road...
, and Regent Terrace.
The grass is well manicured and it is known today chiefly as a spot for picnics and games of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, and serves as the games field for nearby Parkside Community College
Parkside Community College
Parkside Community College is a state secondary school with 600 places for children aged 11–16, situated in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. It is part of the Parkside Federation, along with Coleridge Community College-Admissions:...
. Fairs tend to be held on the rougher ground of Midsummer Common
Midsummer Common
Midsummer Common is an area of common land in central Cambridge, UK. The Cambridge Midsummer Fair held on the common is one of the oldest fairs in the UK and at one point was among England's largest...
.
In 1838, a feast for 15,000 guests was held on Parker's Piece to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
History
Before 1613, the site of Parker's Piece was owned by Trinity CollegeTrinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. In that year, the college exchanged the land — at that time located well outside the town — with the town of Cambridge for the majority of Garret Hostel Green, an island on the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
, and the site of the current Wren Library, Trinity College
Wren Library, Cambridge
The Wren Library is the library of Trinity College in Cambridge. It was designed by Christopher Wren in 1676 and completed in 1695.The library is a single large room built over an open colonnade on the ground floor of Nevile's Court...
. It was subsequently named after a college cook, Edward Parker, who obtained the rights to farm on it.
As a cricket ground, Parker's Piece was used for first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches from 1817 to 1864.
In the 19th century, it was one of the principal sports grounds used by students at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and the site of numerous Varsity Match
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
es against Oxford.
Parker's Piece and football
In the 19th century, football was also commonly played on this ground, as is described in the following quotation from George CorrieGeorge Corrie
George Corrie is an English footballer, born in Workington, who played for ten years as a midfielder for American USL Second Division side Wilmington Hammerheads, of which he was the captain. He joined the Hammerheads in 1999 after six seasons with Conference North team Workington A.F.C..-External...
, Master of Jesus College
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
(1838): "In walking with Willis we passed by Parker's Piece and there saw some forty Gownsmen playing at football. The novelty and liveliness of the scene were amusing!"
Rules of football
- Main article: Cambridge rules.
Parker's Piece has a special place in the history of modern football games
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
, as it was here that the Cambridge Rules of 1848 were first put into practice. They were very influential in the creation of the modern rules of Association Football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, drawn up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
in 1863. A plaque has been mounted at Parker's Piece bearing the following inscription:
Modern passing tactics
The move by the Cambridge University AFC away from Parker's Piece in 1882 coincided with the side's significant role in the development of the modern passing, combination gameCombination Game
The Combination Game was a style of association football based around team work and cooperation. It would gradually favour the passing of the ball between players over individual dribbling skills which had been a notable feature of early Association games. It developed from "scientific" football...
. In a detailed investigation in to the evolution of football tactics based upon contemporary accounts, Adrian Harvey refers to the teams responsible for the early development of the passing game (including Sheffield, The Royal Engineers and Queens Park) but comes to the following conclusion about the finished, modern team product: "Curiously, the side that was generally credited with transforming the tactics of association football and almost single-handedly inventing the modern game was not a professional team but the Cambridge University XI of 1882. Contemporaries described Cambridge as being the first "combination" team in which each player was allotted an area of the field and played as part of a team in a game that was based upon passing". In a discussion by CW Alcock on the history of a "definite scheme of attack" and "elaborate combination" in football playing style, he states in 1891: "The perfection of the system which is in vogue at the present time however is in a very great measure the creation of the last few years. The Cambridge University eleven of 1882 were the first to illustrate the full possibilities of a systematic combination giving full scope to the defence as well as the attack"
Parkside
Parkside is the street on the north-east side of the park. It is the terminus for long distance coach services (such as the Stagecoach bus route X5Stagecoach bus route X5
Stagecoach bus route X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Bedford and St Neots. The route started in 1995 with an hourly service which was increased to half-hourly in 2005 and new vehicles were introduced in 2009. It has since won...
to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
), visitor coaches and a stopping point for local bus services. The street is also home to the city's police station and a fire station (which is under construction), as well as giving access to Parkside Community College
Parkside Community College
Parkside Community College is a state secondary school with 600 places for children aged 11–16, situated in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. It is part of the Parkside Federation, along with Coleridge Community College-Admissions:...
.