Today, our keeper, @jeffddjames, visited our friends Cambridgeshire Archives.

This was his first archive sector visit since the start of the pandemic.

In this thread, we thought we'd give you a brief glimpse into some of the treasures he saw and work our friends are currently doing ☺️

A survey of part of the manor or Lordship of Chippenham in the parish of Chippenham in the county of Cambridge belonging to the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Orford Viscount Barfleur and Baron of Shingay, etc”, 1712.

📷: 71/P3

The Earl of Orford had the plan drawn up as part of his project to improve the estate and create a park.

This is a particularly attractive estate map, which includes depictions of individual houses and even deer.

Contract with Cornelius Vermuyden, 25 January 1650. This was the agreement in which the Society of Adventurers appointed Vermuyden the director of works for the draining of the Cambridgeshire fens.

📷: R59/31/X/51/1

In return he was to receive £1,000 and 4,000 acres of the newly drained land.

The drainage of the fens was very likely the largest single land transformation project up until that date.

Patients on the balcony of the original Papworth Hospital, c.1930

📷: 1140/5/14/91

The hospital’s ground-breaking course of treatment was to provide TB patients with as much time outdoors and in sunshine as possible.

From the 1950s the hospital expanded into cardiac surgery, for which it has become famous.

A page from the manuscript notebooks of George Nathan Maynard of Whittlesford. Maynard was the very epitome of the 19th century local antiquarian.

📷: R58/5/11