In line with the latest Government advice regarding COVID-19, all University of Cambridge Museums are closing to the public on Thursday 5 November until further notice, to help protect visitors, staff and the wider community. Visit our Museum Closures page for further information.

 

Discover Polar adventure and exploration on your doorstep. From penguins to paintings, sleeping bags to sextants, Inuit art to explorers’ diaries – come find out about exploration, science and survival at the extreme ends of the earth. 
 

Collection Highlights

- Fossil ferns from approximately 140 million ago
- Snow googles used by Ernest Shackleton on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-16 (Endurance) – given to him by Harald Nilsen.
- An unopened tin of pemmican taken from the hut of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09 (Nimrod). 
- A folding camera, manufactured by A.E. Staley & Co. and used by Robert Falcon Scott at the South Pole, 1912, on the British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13 (Terra Nova).

Free Entry

Contact Us

Website: www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum
Call: 01223 336540
Email: museum@spri.cam.ac.uk

 

Family Visits

Visiting with a buggy
Buggies are welcome but cannot be left unattended, please contact the Museum before your visit with any questions.  

Activities
Audio guides are available at the information desk, with one tour aimed at adults and one at younger visitors. A small charge applies. 
Gallery trails: Discover the Polar regions with a Pack-a-polar suitcase trail, an Explorer trail and other activities for children.

Research Enquiries and Image Permissions

Researchers wishing to consult the Museum’s collections should email museum@spri.cam.ac.uk to make an appointment.
To request permission to use images of the Museum’s collection, please contact the Picture Library at the Scott Polar Research Institute.