South Cambridgeshire
§ This page gives an overview of the South Cambridgeshire local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ South Cambridgeshire encircles Cambridge with a blend of historic villages, rolling countryside, and growing business parks. The district features numerous picturesque villages such as Grantchester, famed for its meadows and literary associations, and Duxford, home to the Imperial War Museum with its vast collection of aircraft. The Gog Magog Hills offer elevated views and walking trails, contrasting with the flat fen-edge landscapes to the north. The area has strong ties to science and innovation, with technology parks and research centres complementing its rural charm. The mix of ancient churches, traditional pubs, and scenic pathways makes it a sought-after area for both its heritage and proximity to Cambridge.
South Cambridgeshire Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the South Cambridgeshire local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of South Cambridgeshire can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of South Cambridgeshire.
Key Facts about South Cambridgeshire
What region is South Cambridgeshire in? South Cambridgeshire is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is South Cambridgeshire in? South Cambridgeshire is located in the county of Cambridgeshire.
Is South Cambridgeshire a city? No, South Cambridgeshire is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs South Cambridgeshire? The local authority for this district is: South Cambridgeshire District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Cambridgeshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Cambridgeshire County Council.
▶ Official website of South Cambridgeshire District Council 🔗 scambs.gov.uk
Which police force covers South Cambridgeshire? Policing in South Cambridgeshire is provided by Cambridgeshire Constabulary 🔗 cambs.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cambridge ⁞ East Cambridgeshire ⁞ Fenland ⁞ Huntingdonshire ⁞ Peterborough ⁞ South Cambridgeshire.
Constituencies in South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is divided into 26 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Balsham
- Bar Hill
- Barrington
- Bassingbourn
- Caldecote
- Cambourne
- Caxton & Papworth
- Cottenham
- Duxford
- Fen Ditton & Fulbourn
- Foxton
- Gamlingay
- Girton
- Hardwick
- Harston & Comberton
- Histon & Impington
- Linton
- Longstanton
- Melbourn
- Milton & Waterbeach
- Over & Willingham
- Sawston
- Shelford
- Swavesey
- The Mordens
- Whittlesford
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is fully parished: 104 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Abington Pigotts
- Arrington
- Babraham
- Balsham
- Bar Hill
- Barrington
- Bartlow
- Barton
- Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth
- Bourn
- Boxworth
- Caldecote
- Cambourne
- Carlton
- Castle Camps
- Caxton
- Childerley
- Comberton
- Conington
- Coton
- Cottenham
- Croxton
- Croydon
- Dry Drayton
- Duxford
- Elsworth
- Eltisley
- Fen Ditton
- Fen Drayton
- Fowlmere
- Foxton
- Fulbourn
- Gamlingay
- Girton
- Grantchester
- Graveley
- Great Abington
- Great and Little Chishill
- Great Eversden
- Great Shelford
- Great Wilbraham
- Guilden Morden
- Hardwick
- Harlton
- Harston
- Haslingfield
- Hatley
- Hauxton
- Heydon
- Hildersham
- Hinxton
- Histon
- Horningsea
- Horseheath
- Ickleton
- Impington
- Kingston
- Knapwell
- Landbeach
- Linton
- Litlington
- Little Abington
- Little Eversden
- Little Gransden
- Little Shelford
- Little Wilbraham
- Lolworth
- Longstanton
- Longstowe
- Madingley
- Melbourn
- Meldreth
- Milton
- Newton
- Northstowe
- Oakington and Westwick
- Orchard Park
- Orwell
- Over
- Pampisford
- Papworth Everard
- Papworth St. Agnes
- Rampton
- Sawston
- Shepreth
- Shingay cum Wendy
- Shudy Camps
- South Trumpington
- Stapleford
- Steeple Morden
- Stow cum Quy
- Swavesey
- Tadlow
- Teversham
- Thriplow and Heathfield
- Toft
- Waterbeach
- West Wickham
- West Wratting
- Weston Colville
- Whaddon
- Whittlesford
- Willingham
- Wimpole
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in South Cambridgeshire
Below is a list of post towns in South Cambridgeshire, grouped by postcode area:
CB ▸ Cambridge (CB1 / CB2 / CB3 / CB4 / CB5 / CB21 / CB22 / CB23 / CB24 / CB25)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire covers 86 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Babraham
- Balsham
- Bar Hill
- Barrington (South Cambridgeshire)
- Barton (South Cambridgeshire)
- Bassingbourn
- Bourn
- Boxworth
- Brinkley *
- Cambourne
- Cambridge (Cambridge) *
- Castle Camps
- Caxton
- Comberton
- Coton
- Cottenham
- Dry Drayton
- Duxford
- Earith *
- Elsworth
- Eltisley
- Fen Ditton
- Fen Drayton *
- Fenstanton *
- Fowlmere
- Foxton (South Cambridgeshire)
- Fulbourn
- Gamlingay
- Girton
- Grantchester
- Graveley
- Great Abington
- Great Chesterford *
- Great Chishill
- Great Eversden
- Great Gransden *
- Great Shelford and Stapleford
- Great Wilbraham
- Guilden Morden
- Hardwick (South Cambridgeshire)
- Harlton
- Harston
- Haslingfield
- Hauxton
- Heathfield (South Cambridgeshire)
- Heydon
- Highfields Caldecote
- Hinxton
- Histon and Impington
- Horningsea
- Horseheath
- Ickleton *
- Kingston (South Cambridgeshire)
- Kneesworth
- Landbeach
- Linton (South Cambridgeshire) *
- Litlington
- Little Abington
- Little Eversden
- Little Gransden *
- Little Shelford
- Longstanton and Northstowe
- Melbourn
- Meldreth
- Milton (South Cambridgeshire) *
- Newton (South Cambridgeshire)
- Oakington
- Orwell
- Over
- Papworth Everard
- Rampton (South Cambridgeshire)
- Royston (North Hertfordshire) *
- Sawston
- Shepreth
- Shudy Camps
- Steeple Morden
- Stow cum Quy
- Swavesey
- Teversham
- Thriplow
- Toft
- Waterbeach
- West Wickham
- West Wratting
- Whittlesford
- Willingham
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of South Cambridgeshire.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the South Cambridgeshire Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Govia Thameslink Railway (Great Northern) ▸ Waterbeach (CB25 9HT) ⁞ Meldreth (SG8 6JP) ⁞ Ashwell and Morden (SG7 5RT) ⁞ Shepreth (SG8 6JP) ⁞ Foxton (CB22 6SE)
- Greater Anglia ▸ Whittlesford Parkway (CB22 4NL) ⁞ Shelford (Cambs) (CB22 5LR)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
South Cambridgeshire compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how South Cambridgeshire compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
South Cambridgeshire has 26 electoral wards.
South Cambridgeshire has a population of 172,544 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in South Cambridgeshire
This chart shows the population trend for South Cambridgeshire from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for South Cambridgeshire can be found on the ONS statistics for South Cambridgeshire.