The Fitzwilliam Museum is owned and managed by Cambridge University, and is located on Trumpington Street, within the university campus. The museum’s collection was founded in 1816, when Viscount Fitzwilliam donated his extensive fine art collection to the university. The current building, an imposing neo-Classical edifice resembling the Parthenon in Athens, was designed by George Basevi, and opened to the public in 1848. The museum has achieved global recognition for the quality of its collections, and has been described as one of the world’s best small museums. Containing over 30 galleries, the Fitzwilliam specializes in fine art, sculpture and antiquities from around the world.

The Fitzwilliam’s remarkable collection of antiquities includes coins, engravings and pottery from civilisations around the world, including Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and Persia. The building’s art galleries contain original masterpieces by Monet, Canaletto and Picasso amongst many others. The museum was extensively modernised in 2006, and now houses an impressive collection of 20th century art. The Fitzwilliam Museum is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday, and from 12pm until 5pm on Sundays. Admission is free. The site is wheelchair accessible from the Courtyard Entrance, and provides specialised guides for visitors with sensory impairment.

The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, known as the MAA locally, houses Cambridge University’s collection of local antiquities, as well as archaeological finds from around the world. In all, the MAA contains over 800,000 historically important artefacts. The turreted, Gothic style building has housed the museum since the end of World War I, and can be found on the Downing Site, which houses the university’s scientific departments. The MAA covers three floors: the ground floor, known as the Clarke Gallery, is dedicated to archaeology, while the Maudsley Gallery above houses anthropological and ethnographic finds. The upper floor is used as a space for new exhibitions on specific themes, such as a recent exhibition on the indigenous Sami people of Lapland.

Highlights of the MAA collection include numerous antiquities found in the Cambridge region, and artefacts collected by Captain James Cook on his voyages to the Antipodes. The Clarke Gallery houses some of the earliest human tools ever discovered, originally found in east Africa. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and is fully wheelchair accessible. Admission is free. Renovation works mean that the museum will be closed to visitors until May 2012, when the revamped building will re-open.

Cambridge University’s Museum of Zoology is located opposite the MAA building on Downing Street, in the heart of the university’s central campus. The Museum of Zoology is housed in a purpose built modern glass fronted building, and is the region’s largest natural history museum. The university’s extensive collection of preserved and fossilised animal life forms can be found here, with at least one example of each animal species on public display at any time. The museum has close links with renowned British anthropologist Charles Darwin, and his personal collection of flora and fauna, from which he drew his theory of evolution, is on permanent display here.

The Museum of Zoology is a worldwide centre of wildlife research, and attracts scientists, artists and zoologists from around the world to view its collection. There are regular temporary exhibitions within the museum, including an annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The Museum of Zoology is a family friendly attraction, with a range of workshops and exhibitions available. Children aged 6-13 years can also join the museum’s Young Zoologist Club. The museum is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 4.45pm, and also on Saturdays from 11am until 4pm. Admission is free, and the museum is happy to accommodate group and school bookings.

The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences is located on Downing Street. Together with the MAA and Zoology Museum nearby, the museum has helped to make this corner of the Cambridge University campus a global centre for natural history research. Created by physics professor Dr John Woodward, the museum blossomed under the stewardship of Dr Adam Sedgwick, who attracted exhibits of global significance to the site. Following Dr Sedgwick’s death, the museum was moved to a new site in his honour. The current building was opened by King Edward VII in 1904, and now houses an extensive collection of exhibits dating back to prehistoric era.

The Sedgwick Museum has an impressive collection of prehistoric artifacts, including a number of exhibits on the Jurassic era, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. A complete Iguanodon skeleton, discovered in South East England, forms the breathtaking centre piece of the museum’s entrance hall. The museum also houses galleries of prehistoric minerals and fossils dating back to the origins of animal life as we know it. A number of child-friendly exhibitions take place at the museum each year, making this a must see attraction for children with an interest in the prehistoric world. The Sedgwick Museum is open Monday-Friday from 10pm until 5pm, closing for lunch at 1pm. It is also open from 10pm until 4pm on Saturdays.

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science is situated within Cambridge University’s Downing Site, a globally renowned centre of scientific research. Founded by Robert Stewart Whipple, the former chairman of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument company, the museum is a quirky collection of historic instruments and contraptions. Specialising in 17th and 19th century exhibits, the Whipple museum was created in 1944, using many instruments from its founder’s private collection. The Main Gallery houses a number of historically significant attractions, including astronomer William Herschel’s telescope. The Discover Gallery offers visitors a walking tour of the history of scientific instruments, from medieval times through to the 20th century.
The museum is partially housed within a Jacobean hall, built in 1628 and formerly the Cambridge Free School. The building has also housed the Perse School, and was a temporary home for the Fitzwilliam Museum collection before it moved to its current home on Trumpington Street. A number of temporary exhibitions run at the Whipple Museum throughout the year, including a recent display of historic globes and mapping devices. Admission to the museum is free, and the building is wheelchair accessible from its Downing Street entrance. The museum is open from 12.30pm until 4.30pm Monday through Friday.

The Cambridge & County Folk Museum is an interesting attraction, housed within former public house The White Horse Inn, and offering a guide to the rich history of the city and its surrounding county of Cambridgeshire. A contrast to the global focus of many of Cambridge University’s museums, this museum is devoted to its host city, with eight rooms of exhibits dating back to 1700.

The museum is run and supported by two local charities, and was shortlisted in 2006 as one of the UK’s most innovative museum attractions. Highlights amongst the exhibits include the Folklore Collection, a meticulous gathering of medieval objects, including courting tokens and Witch Balls – glass ornaments used to ward off evil spirits. The exhibits explore local customs and traditions and give a unique insight into medieval life in the region.

The Cambridge & County Folk Museum is located on Castle Street, just north of the city centre, close to Magdalen College. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am to 5.00pm, and on Sundays from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. Admission is £3.50 for adults and £2.00 concessions. Children can visit for £1, with one child admitted free per paying adult. If you register as a Friend of the Folk Museum, admission is free.