Who owns Cambridge?

  • Posted on: 23 August 2022
  • By: monica
Guy Shrubsole

Land lies at the root of many of our social and ecological problems: the climate crisis and decline in species, the lack of affordable housing, our unsustainable food system. Who owns our land has huge sway over how it's used, including implications for water use - and yet land ownership remains a deep and dark secret in this country. Guy Shrubsole began investigating who owns England back in 2016, started a blog, and then wrote a book about it: Who Owns England? (William Collins, 2019). Come to discover what he's found on who owns Cambridge - but also be prepared to learn how to become a 'land detective' yourself. Guy will share all the tips and tools that you'll need to investigate land ownership in Cambridgeshire - and how that knowledge might then be used to change the way we relate to land entirely. In the end, does nature belong to us, or do we belong to nature? 

A recording of this talk can be found on Friends of the Cam's YouTube channel, here.

An outcome of Guy's talk is the formation of a 'Who Own's Cambridge' project. Its progress will be posted on this website, and please contact us if you would like to be involved.