Museums and galleries in Cambridge

Museums and galleries in Cambridge

1. See

   Cambridge Science Centre

   An interactive science museum and educational charity which focuses on hands-on exhibits and outreach activities that engage children, families, and schools in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

2. See

   Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum

   Denny Abbey the only religious site in England to have been occupied at various times by three different monastic orders. Museum tells the history of farming in the fens.

   Adults £8.00, children £5.00, concessions £6.50. English Heritage members free

3. See

   Imperial War Museum Duxford

   This World War II airfield south of Cambridge houses the Imperial War Museum's aircraft collection, and is the largest aviation museum in Europe. As well as military aircraft, it houses a large collection of non-military aircraft including a Concorde. There is also a land warfare museum on the site that has many examples of armoured vehicles from the First World War onwards. It really a full day for a proper visit. Flight shows are sometimes held; these days will be very busy.

   10AM-6PM·Adults £31, Child £15.50, Concession £27.90

4. See

   Kettle's Yard

   Kettle's Yard is the former home of Jim and Helen Ede and houses the fine collection of art, from the early part of the 20th century, which they gave to the University. Artists represented include Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood, Alfred Wallis, David Jones, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. There is a separate gallery for exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, which are widely advertised and detailed on the website. Each exhibition is accompanied by a lively programme of talks, workshops and discussion groups for all ages. Music at Kettle's Yard: Kettle's Yard presents programmes of chamber music concerts and contemporary music concerts.

   House open Tue-Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays 1:30-4:30PM (1st weekend in April - last weekend in September); Tue-Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays 2PM-4PM (1st weekend in October - last weekend in March). Gallery open Tue-Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays 11:30AM-5PM·House Adult £10.50 -25 free

5. See

   Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

   The museum contains large and important collections of archaeological and anthropological material from all parts of the world. The archaeological collections from all periods include significant collections from Palaeolithic Europe, Asia and Africa; Precolumbian Central and South America; early civilizations of the Mediterranean; and British archaeology. The world-renowned anthropological collections include important collections from the South Seas, West Africa and the Northwest Coast of North America; historic collections from the 18th century; and extensive photographic collections from the 19th and 20th centuries.

   Tue-Sun 2PM-4:30PM; closed at Christmas and Easter and on most public holidays; possible extended summer opening - please telephone or email for details·Free

6. See

   Museum of Classical Archaeology

   The Museum of Classical Archaeology is one of the few surviving collections of plaster casts of Greek & Roman sculpture in the world. The collection of about four hundred and fifty casts is open to the public and housed in a purpose-built Cast Gallery on the first floor of the Classics Faculty. Although nothing here is an original, nearly all the well-known (and not so well-known) works from the Classical world can be seen together under one roof. The reserve research collections consist of another two hundred plaster casts, Greek vases, pottery sherds, and epigraphic squeezes. These can be consulted by arrangement.

   Mon-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-1PM·Admission is free

7. See

   Museum of Technology

   An exhibition of items from Cambridge's industrial past based at the city's old sewage pumping station on Riverside. Exhibits include the working steam and gas powered pumps, printing technology and items from several decades of electronics manufacturing within the city. The museum holds several 'steaming' days a year, usually on bank holidays, when engines and pumps may be seen working.

   Fri-Sun 10:30AM-4PM

8. See

   Selwyn College

   Founded in 1882, Selwyn is one of the newer Cambridge colleges. Its buildings and grounds are excellent examples of Gothic Revival architecture and it has been named one of the “most obviously impressive” of 68 listed buildings in the West Cambridge Conservation Area appraisal. Entering through the Porter's Lodge Gate on Grange Road puts you in the attractive Old Court with its manicured lawn surrounded by red brick, turreted buildings. The gate next to the college chapel leads into the Selwyn gardens. Selwyn College is located less than a ten-minute walk south of the Cambridge Library, and is about 250 m from the Museum of Classical Archaeology.

   Free

9. See

   The Centre for Computing History

   A small museum dedicated to the field of computing including video game consoles and arcade machines that can be played. The museum is also a hire-able venue for "Gaming Parties".

   Wed-Sun 10AM-5PM·Adults £12, children £8, concessions £10

10. See

    The Fitzwilliam Museum

    The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge and is on Trumpington Street. It receives around 300,000 visitors annually. The museum was founded in 1816 with the bequest of the library and art collection of the VIIth Viscount FitzWilliam. The bequest also included £100,000 "to cause to be erected a good substantial museum repository". The "Founder's Building" itself was designed by George Basevi, completed by C. R. Cockerell and opened in 1848; the entrance hall is by Edward Middleton Barry and was completed in 1875. The Egyptian Galleries at the Fitzwilliam Museum re-opened in 2006 after a two-year, £1.5-million programme of refurbishment, conservation and research. The museum has five departments: Antiquities; Applied Arts; Coins and Medals; Manuscripts and Printed Books; and Paintings, Drawings and Prints. Highlights include masterpieces by Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, Canaletto, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Constable, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne and Picasso and a fine collection of 20th century art.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun noon-5PM·Admission free

11. See

    The Museum of Cambridge

    formerly: Cambridge Folk Museum

    The only local social history museum in Cambridge and is the most comprehensive collection representing life in the South Cambridgeshire villages. Housed in an old Coaching House, the museum is home to some 20,000 objects representing the history of local life away from the University. Staffed by volunteers which may cause unscheduled closures, phone to confirm if required.

    Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 11AM-4PM·Standard £6, students & 16-17 £4.50, -16 free

12. See

    The Polar Museum

    A short walk from the Fitzwilliam Museum is The Polar Museum. It was a finalist for The Museum of the Year Prize in 2011. Its extraordinary collection covers the Arctic and Antarctic, native peoples and the Golden Age of Exploration of heroes such as Scott and Shackleton. It also serves as the National Memorial to Scott and his men, as well as being the public front of The Scott Polar Research Institute which continues their scientific work. Special events, exhibitions, tours, children's activities and behind the scenes Open Days are held quite often.

    Tue-Sat (and Sun on Bank Holiday Weekends) 10AM-4PM

13. See

    The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

    One of the university's many hidden treasures, and actually its oldest museum, the Sedgwick is packed full of fossils with more than 1 million in its collection. These range from the earliest forms of life from more than 3000 million years ago, to the wildlife that roamed the Fens less than 150,000 years ago. Displays include a gallery of minerals and gemstones, the world's largest spider, rocks collected by Charles Darwin on the 'Voyage of the Beagle', dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Triassic, and fossils from the local area including a hippopotamus from the nearby Barrington gravel pits. The museum organises many activities, so it's always a good idea to check its website..

    Mon-Fri 10AM-1PM and 2PM-5PM; Sat 10AM-4PM; closed on Bank Holidays·Admission free

14. See

    The University Library

    Exhibition of treasures and highlights from the Library's world-class collections of manuscripts and printed books. Two major exhibitions are held each year (roughly January to June and September to December): check website for details.

    Mon-Fri 9AM-6PM, Sat 9AM-4:30PM

15. See

    The University Museum of Zoology

    The University Museum of Zoology displays a great range of recent and fossil animals, emphasising the structural diversity and evolutionary relationships among the animal kingdom. The collections were accumulated from 1814 onwards, and include many specimens collected by Charles Darwin. To find the museum, look for the spectacular whale skeleton, hung above the entrance and visible through the archway from Downing Street.

    Tue-Sat 10AM-4:30PM, Sun noon-4:30PM, and Bank Holiday Mondays noon-4:30PM·Free

16. See

    The Whipple Museum of the History of Science

    The Whipple Museum is a pre-eminent collection of scientific instruments and models, dating from the Middle Ages to the present. Included in this outstanding collection are microscopes and telescopes, sundials, early slide rules, pocket electronic calculators, laboratory equipment and teaching and demonstration apparatus. Visitors are advised to check beforehand by contacting the museum if you have special access requirements.

    Mon-Fri 12:30PM-4:30PM; closed at weekends (ex third Sat per month), bank holidays and occasionally over the Christmas period·Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Cambridge (CC BY-SA 4.0).