Cambridge Street Tramways
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Defunct | 1914 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge , England |
| Products | Horse-drawn tram service |
Cambridge Street Tramways provided a horse-drawn tram service in Cambridge, England, operating from 1880 until 1914.
History
Due to opposition from the university, Cambridge's principal railway station was situated approximately from the city centre, creating a need for a connecting transport service. Two competing proposals for horse tramways were put forward, with authorization granted to the Cambridge Street Tramways Company.
The initial line, built with a track gauge, linked Cambridge railway station to the Post Office near St Andrew the Great's Church via Station Road, Hills Road, and Regent Street. Following an inspection by Major General Charles Scrope Hutchinson of the Board of Trade, the service commenced on 28 October 1880. Shortly after, in November 1880, a branch line opened running from Market Hill to Hills Road and Regent Street, which was subsequently extended along Gonville Place to East Road. These routes crossed at Hyde Park Corner but functioned as independent lines. The mostly single-track network included a brief double-track segment on Hills Road.
Plans to extend the tramway along Newmarket Road, Maid’s Causeway, and Emmanuel Road were never realized. The depot located at East Road and Dover Street has since been converted into a public house named "The Tram Depot".
Closure
In the early 1910s, British Electric Traction, which owned multiple tram systems, expressed interest in electrifying the Cambridge trams but was unable to implement a viable plan. From 1908 onwards, the trams faced competition from the Ortona Bus Service. By early 1914, British Electric Traction opted to discontinue the tram operations and instead invested in the Ortona Motor Company. The tramway ceased operations on 18 February 1914, and later that month the company was dissolved following legal action by the corporation over unpaid rates. An auction of company assets included 24 draught horses, six double-deck tramcars, two single-deck cars, and stable equipment.
The fleet comprised eight vehicles: initially two double-deck cars (numbers 1 and 4) and two single-deck cars (numbers 2 and 3), which were later modified with upper decks. By 1892, two additional single-deck cars (numbers 5 and 6) were added; in 1894, number 7—a double-deck car constructed by Starbuck—joined; and in 1909, car number 8, another double-deck vehicle, completed the collection. Upon closure, all eight trams were sold at auction for various purposes.
Tram number 7 was later adapted as an extension workshop attached to a bungalow in Ely before being acquired by the Ipswich Transport Museum in 2003. During its restoration—funded in part by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant—it was discovered that this vehicle was built by the Starbuck Car and Wagon Company of Birkenhead around 1880 for the Bath Tramways Company. It operated there until approximately 1884 before transferring to the Bradford and Shelf Tramway Company, likely serving as a trailer for a steam tram prior to joining Cambridge’s fleet in 1894.