page_title: The Backs
section_title: The name
hierarchical_section_title: The Backs / The name
caption_attribution_description: English: Aerial view of Cambridge city centre from the west.
context_page_description: The Backs is a picturesque area to the east of Queen's Road in the city of Cambridge, England, where several colleges of the University of Cambridge back on to the River Cam, their grounds covering both banks of the river.
  Simon Jenkins rates the view of The Backs and King's College as one of the top ten in England.
context_section_description: The name "the Backs" refers to the backs of the colleges. The area consists of the rear grounds of the following colleges (north to south):
  St John's — buildings on both sides of the river, spanned by the St John's kitchen bridge and the Bridge of Sighs
  Trinity — buildings on the east bank, spanned by Trinity bridge.
  Trinity Hall — buildings on the east bank but with no rear grounds on the west bank.
  Clare — buildings on the east bank, spanned by Clare bridge.
  King's — buildings on the east bank, spanned by King's bridge.
  Queens' — buildings on both sides of the river, spanned by the Mathematical Bridge.
  Historically, much of the land was used by the colleges for grazing livestock or growing fruit. Cattle can still be found grazing behind King's College. The river was also an important commercial thoroughfare to the mill at Silver Street.
caption: The Backs appear as the horizontal green band in the middle left of this aerial photograph of Cambridge city centre
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