
The Rock Hotel, Cherry Hinton Road
History of The Rock Hotel
1901
John Gardiner, 51, innkeeper, born Newmarket
Sarah, 51, born Newmarket
Michael W Fordham, 20, barman, born Newmarket
Bertie Jeffery, son in law, 12, born Newmarket
1911
Archibald Campbell McRae, 38, licensed victualler, born Surrey
Ellen Elizabeth, 39, born Leics.
Phyllis Winifred, 15, born Herts.
The Rock is the oldest of only two public houses in the Queen Edith’s area and as a result has always been very busy.
In the 1960s the landlord was John Gavin, the professional footballer who played for Cambridge City from 1961-2. At the time of Erica Dimock’s Cambridge News article about Cherry Hinton Road in 1964 he was playing for Newmarket.
The CWN article of 1987 recalled that the pub had had a bad reputation earlier in its history as a place where fair followers would settle old scores, but by 1987 things had changed a great deal.
Steve Cundy came to be landlord in 1986 and stayed for many years.
Sources: Cambridge News (Cambridgeshire Collection)