Museum of Zoology

Over het museum

The Museum of Zoology has stood on Cambridge’s New Museums Site since 1865, when a purpose-built Museum of Comparative Anatomy and Zoology was opened to house two older collections: the university’s comparative anatomy collection and the natural history collection of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. The two were combined in 1877. Most of the specimens were acquired between 1865 and 1915 through purchases, gifts of private shell, insect and bird collections, and expeditions to the Indian Ocean, Africa, South East Asia and Australia, although new material is still added every year.

The oldest part of the collection comes from Sir Busick Harwood, professor of anatomy from 1785, and includes some of the earliest kangaroo and emu specimens to reach Britain. Through the Philosophical Society’s founders Adam Sedgwick and John Henslow, who were mentors to Charles Darwin, much of Darwin’s own material found its way here, including the fish he collected on the voyage of the Beagle.

The 1865 building was demolished in 1965 and replaced by a new building designed by Philip Dowson, which opened in 1970 and was completed in 1974. The collections were given Designated status in 1988. The museum closed in 2013 for a £4.1 million refurbishment supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which created a new glass entrance hall. Within it hangs the museum’s most famous specimen, the skeleton of a fin whale. The museum now occupies the David Attenborough Building, which it shares with the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.

Hoogtepunten

• Skeleton of a 21-metre fin whale in the Whale Hall, with a suspended walkway
• Darwin’s beetle box and fish collected on the voyage of the Beagle
• Asian elephant, Komodo dragon and a thylacine (Tasmanian tiger)
• Goblin shark, giant clam and a hydrothermal vent chimney
• Ichthyosaur, a fish-like reptile from about 150 million years ago
• Free admission, with trails for families

Vaste collectie

• Whale Hall – A glass entrance hall in which a 21-metre fin whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling, with a suspended walkway for a close-up view.
• Upper and lower galleries – Thousands of specimens from across the animal kingdom, including a Komodo dragon, goblin shark, thylacine and Darwin’s beetle box.

Opgericht

1865

Beheerder

University of Cambridge

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 138.886

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Admission is free; donations are welcome and help to keep the museum free. Adult groups can request a one-hour overview tour with a subject specialist for a charge.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie

The museum entrance can be reached from street level by a ramp or 11 steps, and the lower gallery is fully step-free. A lift links the upper and lower galleries and the café, but there is no lift to the mezzanine level between the galleries. One accessible parking bay on the New Museums Site must be requested at the intercom on arrival and cannot be booked; limited blue badge parking is in the Grand Arcade car park. A wheelchair can be borrowed, foldaway stools are available, and induction loops are in the Demonstration Room and Discovery Space. Audio-described and touch tours are offered through the University of Cambridge Museums “Making Sense” programme and for groups on request. Guide dogs, hearing dogs and dogs for disabled people are welcome. A visual story and dementia-friendly resources are available online.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Verschoonruimte

Family events run throughout the year, and printable and in-museum trails are available (the explorer bags are not currently lent out). The free Young Zoologists Club (ages 6 to 12) and Zoology Club (ages 13 to 18) offer workshops and events. Baby-changing facilities are near the reception desk, and breastfeeding and bottle feeding are welcome everywhere.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Enter the New Museums Site through the Pembroke Arch on Downing Street; the museum entrance is through the Whale Hall.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Kluisjes

Whale Café above the Whale Hall (open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 15:00), a shop selling zoology-themed gifts (contactless payment only) and free lockers. Large items such as suitcases and scooters may not be taken into the galleries; pushchairs can be left in the Whale Hall.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen

The Whale Hall and the Lower Gallery can be hired for drinks receptions, networking events and formal dinners.

Je bezoek plannen