Photos: Julian Herzog (Website), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 King of Hearts, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Maksim Sokolov (Maxergon), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Julian Herzog (Website), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 King of Hearts, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Maksim Sokolov (Maxergon), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Eagle and the DNA discovery
Your local guide
Rajesh Patel
View profile
Highlights
- A coaching inn's older history
- Wartime ceiling signatures through a window
- Where a scientific announcement was made
- Fact separated from exaggeration
- One pub, two very different stories
About this tour
This session tells the story of the day two Cambridge scientists announced they had worked out the structure of DNA, using the pub where they made the announcement as the anchor for the whole session. It covers the building's earlier life as a coaching inn and the wartime ceiling signatures still visible in one of its rooms. It links a scientific milestone to an ordinary street corner.
We start in the courtyard with the pub's older history, then move to the window where the ceiling signatures can be filmed from outside. Questions usually turn to the DNA story itself, and I explain what is documented against what has become exaggerated over the years. I finish with a note on where else in the city this discovery is marked.
It suits science and history enthusiasts alike, since the story sits at the crossing point of both. It also suits anyone who enjoys a single small building carrying an outsized piece of history.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Cambridge before heading out.
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Eagle courtyard 21 min
The camera holds on the coaching-inn courtyard, and I explain how the pub served travellers changing horses long before it became known for anything scientific.
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RAF Bar ceiling 21 min
Through the window of the room known as the RAF Bar, you can see the ceiling signatures left by wartime airmen, and I explain how the same room later became the site of the DNA announcement.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Cambridge: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Sunday roast and Mill Road, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in London time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Cambridge, showing you Eagle courtyard and RAF Bar ceiling live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on a video call outside the pub, since the room where the announcement was made can be filmed through the window from the street.
Times shown in London time (GMT)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Sat 31 Oct · 8 seats left From 21,00 €
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