A civil wedding in Cambridge
19th September · Cambridge
Traditionally, the bride’s father invites the guests, and pays for the wedding. But if he were still alive, he’d be 100yrs old, so here’s an alternative narrative.
If you are wondering why you’ve received this, it’s because you are someone who was significant in their life journey, and you may know either Lyndsay or Roland from their multifarious activities. Which have now collided and you are invited to the celebration of that collision (known as a Civil Wedding).
Lyndsay, with a degree in Biomedical Electronics from Salford University, working at British Aerospace on Corgi-carrying planes, Richard Watts Associates designing music synthesisers including the Amstrad CKX100, BT Research Martlesham, Microsoft Research Cambridge with a string of patents in her name, Consultant for Apple Inc, and now a retired Associate Professor from UNN; FRSA, MIEE.
Former Parish Councillor, mother of Maid-of-honour Louise, whose day-job is at the University Library, where she manages reader membership, and helps look after more than eight million books, which is at least seven million more than she and her mother own themselves.
Roland went to Brentwood School (when still Direct Grant), Sidney Sussex Cambridge (the year after they won University Challenge despite being probably the smallest college entered, and before student loans were invented), then helped establish Ambit International in Brentwood High Street, managed 1978’s third retail home computer shop Sintrom Microshop in Reading, eight years at Amsoft/Amstrad, columnist at Computer Shopper, CIX subscriber and MD/Technical Director for a year, UKOnline (the family-friendly ISP not the government website), LINX, RIPE NCC and Digital Trust.
In 1988 Roland met Jennifer Bradley at COMDEX in Atlanta, and after a whirlwind romance married in Dallas in October. Jennifer relocated to Brentwood and they moved soon after to a former school house on the main street in Watlington, Oxfordshire to equalise commutes to work, because Jennifer had been hired as Marketing Manager for Commodore UK in Maidenhead, followed by Siemens Nixdorf in Bracknell and Cyrix in Swindon.
They have two wonderful children, Bradley and Olivia, and the four of them proceeded to live in various places, usually to be close to work. This included spells in Nunney (Somerset), Hinchley Wood (near Esher), West Bridgford (half a mile from Trent Bridge), Eltisley Avenue (Newnham Croft, Cambridge), Melbourn (Cambs), Atlanta (Georgia) and Ely riverside.
Roland gradually transitioned from bringing new technology to market, to attempting to reduce the harm that technology inflicted on their users, which as well as talking to Industry, involved engaging with Westminster, Brussels and the UN in Geneva. And doing an awful lot of International travelling. It all came to an abrupt halt “because of Brexit”, when Westminster was paralysed by the consequences, and the Government has only just this year begun to start taking online safety seriously again.
When most people were locked down “due to Covid”, Jennifer was diagnosed with what turned out, despite her consultant being Head of Cancer Research UK at Addenbrookes, to be incurable breast cancer, and passed away aged 60, in January 2024. They threw the book at it, but it just bounced off.
Her wish was that Roland re-married, but not with undue haste. Nor we suspect did either know it would be to someone she called “your other girlfriend”, a penpal on the infamous cam.misc newsgroup, and later Facebook, for 25yrs. They finally met in person when Roland asked for advice on buying his son a 3D printer as a birthday present at the end of 2023.
Lyndsay has been living in a house in Girton, built on land bought from the College, since 1998; relocated there by Microsoft Research when they were in offices above the shops in Petty Cury. Her office window looked out onto Sidney Street, and with binoculars could probably have seen Roland’s College in the distance. Like Amstrad’s former HQ Brentwood House, in a series of co-incidences, it’s also now a Premier Inn.
Cambridge Register Office · family and close friends.
All welcome · venue still to be decided.
Sidney Sussex College · Mong Room.
Short videos welcome by the end of August if you cannot attend.
They have booked the civil marriage at 10:15am on 19th September at the Cambridge Register Office, a somewhat unprepossessing affair in a residential area about a mile north of the City Centre. It’s nicer on the inside than the outside. For family and close friends.
Lunch, with all welcome, afterwards at somewhere to be decided, maybe d’Arrys née Cambridge Arms, in King Street behind Sidney Sussex.
The reception, for those with a confirmed invitation, is from 1pm at Sidney Sussex College, Mong Room, where there will be a buffet with the usual dietary options, open bar, and a display of some relevant artefacts.
There’s no on-site parking, but the aptly named Park Street Car Park is just a few minutes away, and there’s also formal and informal park-and-ride facilities available from all points of the compass. We also recommend Veezu for efficient taxi service.
Speeches and cards @2pm and if you can’t come in person, a short video can be played if received by the end of August. The happy couple have sufficient toasters and crystal glasses to last another hundred years, but would welcome donations of vintage technology hardware/software/documentation to add to their joint collection.
The best wedding present would be prompt acknowledgement of this invitation, and whether you have a +1. We won’t be offended if you can’t attend, especially if that means a lot of travel, but do need to get the approximate numbers confirmed as soon as possible for the caterers. RSVP: sensecam@gmail.com, or by post to 51 Weavers Field, Girton, CB3 0XB.
The room has to be vacated by 6pm for another booking in the evening, but hopefully several attendees can decamp to one of Cambridge’s numerous hostelries or restaurants nearby.
Many central Cambridge Colleges offer very reasonably priced B&B rates, and are grander and friendlier than hotels, but generally don’t have parking. Because 18th-20th turns out to be also The University Alumni Festival, tourist rooms are selling out fast, and guests should contact Sidney Sussex direct https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/stay-sidney/booking-conference-delegates with code PERRY2026. More single rooms than doubles.
For those wishing to make a long weekend of the event, the days before are Cambridge Tech Week, or just wandering around the City while it’s still slightly sleepy towards the end of the Long Vacation. Alumni should bring their CamCards, for ease of entry to places otherwise a bit grumpy towards tourists.
Best quirky museum is perhaps Archaeology and Anthropology on Downing St, but there’s also the Fitzwilliam, a British Museum clone but without the marbles (or a Bayeux Tapestry).
No formal plans for a “Rehearsal Dinner” on Friday night and while The Ivy is a bit pricey, other potential venues are The Orator at the Cambridge Unionl, or for nostalgic Micro-men, the Baron of Beef just a few doors away
On Friday morning there’s likely to be an Open House in Girton for those who arrived on Thursday.
Depending on the weather, punting on Sunday. Champagne and strawberries not compulsory, but definitely recommended. Organisation of this to be delegated (does anyone have access to college punts rather than commercial ones?)
Updates will eventually appear at: http:www.perry-willams.uk