Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge

Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge tickets: which one to buy

Great Saint Mary's is the university church of Cambridge and stands on King's Parade, facing the Senate House and a few steps from King's College Chapel and the market square. Entry to the church is free. The tower is ticketed, and the climb of about a hundred and twenty steps up a narrow spiral is the reason many visitors come: the view from the top is the best in the city, over King's College Chapel, the colleges along the river, and the market below.

Walking tours of Cambridge usually start or pass nearby and may point out the church, but few go inside. Punting tours on the river and visits to the colleges, which charge admission, make up the rest of most days here. A cafe and shop are part of the church. Services and concerts are held regularly, and the building remains an active parish as well as a university church. Tower tickets are sold in the church shop and include a short climbing guide.

Visiting Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge: what to see

A church has stood here since at least the thirteenth century; the present building, in the late Perpendicular Gothic style, was rebuilt between 1478 and 1519, with the tower completed in the early seventeenth century. For centuries it was the centre of university life: degree ceremonies were held here until the Senate House was built, and university sermons are still preached from the pulpit. Distances in and around Cambridge were once measured from a stone set into the church wall.

Inside, the nave is light and lofty with wooden galleries added later for students and dons. The tower's bells ring a chime that was composed for this church in 1793 and later copied for the clock at Westminster, so the tune known around the world as the Westminster Quarters is really the Cambridge Chimes. The Reformation preachers Martin Bucer and others were associated with the church. A carved wooden screen and the organ case at the west end date from the seventeenth century.

Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge opening hours and the best time to go

The church and tower are open daily, with shorter hours on Sundays because of services and in winter; the tower closes in bad weather and during some events. The best view is on a clear morning, when the light falls on King's College Chapel. Cambridge is very busy in summer with tourists and language students, and on graduation days in late June and July when King's Parade fills with families.

The university terms bring students back in October, January and April, and the city's character changes with them. The market square below operates daily. Christmas brings carol services, and the carol service at King's College Chapel on Christmas Eve is famous. Allow twenty minutes for the church and another twenty for the tower. The market square beside the church sells food from stalls every day, and the Sunday market specialises in local produce.