On the Shoulders of Giants : Newton, War & Modernity Cambridge History

So far we have seen that Cambridge was a prospering town before the University arrived. But then its fortunes declined slightly in the centuries after Cambridge University was founded as the economy of England shifted and Cambridge ceased being a centre of trade. But as the world began to modernise from the sixteenth century, Cambridge’s economy turned around and it was once more becoming a thriving town. At the same time the University found itself at the centre of important scientific discoveries.