What is an orrery? Why is the clock chiming 13? Why would you collect and display a set of plaster horses’ teeth, some green spectacles and several hundred pocket calculators?
Join us for a tour of the Whipple’s collection in 10 objects, featuring spectacular instruments, fascinating scientific stories, and links to some of Cambridge’s most famous names.
Meet at the reception point in the Main Gallery.
What is an orrery? Why is the clock chiming 13? Why would you collect and display a set of plaster horses’ teeth, some green spectacles and several hundred pocket calculators?
Join us for a tour of the Whipple’s collection in 10 objects, featuring spectacular instruments, fascinating scientific stories, and links to some of Cambridge’s most famous names.
Meet at the reception point in the Main Gallery.
What is an orrery? Why is the clock chiming 13? Why would you collect and display a set of plaster horses’ teeth, some green spectacles and several hundred pocket calculators?
Join us for a tour of the Whipple’s collection in 10 objects, featuring spectacular instruments, fascinating scientific stories, and links to some of Cambridge’s most famous names.
Meet at the reception point in the Main Gallery.
What is an orrery? Why is the clock chiming 13? Why would you collect and display a set of plaster horses’ teeth, some green spectacles and several hundred pocket calculators?
Join us for a tour of the Whipple’s collection in 10 objects, featuring spectacular instruments, fascinating scientific stories, and links to some of Cambridge’s most famous names.
Meet at the reception point in the Main Gallery.
Discover the stranger side of the history of science by candlelight. In honour of spooky season, we're lighting the Museum's historic galleries the old-fashioned way and taking a closer look at our most curious objects and unusual books...
What's on
Curator tours
What do water divining, spiritualists, pyramids, and Martians have to do with the history of science? What's a frog plate, and why is there a giant flayed hand in the Museum? Our Curator shares stories from her recent investigations into the collections...
Giant deer, fossil fish teeth, the rocks that built Cambridge... just some of the specimens on display that our staff can't wait to discuss with you. Beware, their enthusiasm is infectious!
Drop into our shop to reserve your free place on the tour.
Ages 12+
Giant deer, fossil fish teeth, the rocks that built Cambridge... just some of the specimens on display that our staff can't wait to discuss with you. Beware, their enthusiasm is infectious!
Drop into our shop to reserve your free place on the tour.
Ages 12+
We are proud to present our LGBTQ+ tour as part of the University of Cambridge Museums Bridging Binaries programme.
It's hard to say for certain that a 19th century scientist was queer just from their memoirs. It's difficult to know whether they were in a romantic relationship with the ‘secretary’ they lived with, or were they just that – a secretary? In the same era, were the two women who lived together for thirty years really just ‘close friends’? Looking for queerness in museum collections can be challenging.
We are proud to present our LGBTQ+ tour as part of the University of Cambridge Museums Bridging Binaries programme.
It's hard to say for certain that a 19th century scientist was queer just from their memoirs. It's difficult to know whether they were in a romantic relationship with the ‘secretary’ they lived with, or were they just that – a secretary? In the same era, were the two women who lived together for thirty years really just ‘close friends’? Looking for queerness in museum collections can be challenging.
Pick up this free trail from the Garden ticket offices to learn about the folklore and mythology surrounding some of our common British trees. The trail will take you on an adventure around the Botanic Garden to learn stories about the magical properties of trees that have been lost to time. Visit all seven boards to learn about each tree and collect a stamp of its magical item. Then head to one of the Ticket Offices to gain the magpies’ golden stamp of ‘mischief’.
Suitable for ages 8+. Children must be accompanied at all times.
