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Whipple Museum of the History of Science

Museum | Cambridge | England | United Kingdom

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge is a fascinating museum that focuses on the history of science and its development over the centuries. It was founded in 1944 and houses a remarkable collection of scientific instruments, manuscripts, and historical artifacts that illustrate the development of science and technology.

A central part of the museum is its extensive collection of scientific devices and instruments that have played a significant role in the history of science. This includes historical astrolabes, measurement tools from astronomy, devices for acoustic research, and early calculating machines. These instruments provide a unique insight into the practical tools used by scientists over the centuries to understand and explain the world around them.

The museum is particularly known for its collection in the fields of astronomy and mathematics, including a variety of historical telescopes and navigation instruments. It also offers exciting exhibitions on the development of acoustics and the pioneers in this field. Another highlight is the collection of devices used in chemical and physical research.

The Whipple Museum is not only a place of learning, but also an interactive space where visitors can immerse themselves in the history of scientific discoveries. It offers numerous events, lectures, and workshops that deepen understanding and appreciation of science. Overall, the Whipple Museum is a significant place for anyone interested in the history of science and the development of scientific instruments.

Contact details

Web

Phone

Address
Free School Ln
CB2 3RH Cambridge

Map view

Opening hours

Sunday--
Monday12:30 - 16:30
Tuesday12:30 - 16:30
Wednesday12:30 - 16:30
Thursday12:30 - 16:00
Friday12:30 - 16:30
Saturday--

Reviews

123 Reviews

shift shift
04.02.2025

Small bur really interesting. If you are interested in the history of science there are some excellent exhibits.
MCB
01.02.2025

This is a most amazing museum! Scientific instruments include Charles Darwin's microscope, tiny brain saws, and orreries from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Children's scientific toys from the 1920s ("Every Boy and Girl a Scientist" on the cover of one!) are fascinating. The set-up of the museum is awesome - the old hall, the cases... This is a small museum so packed with fascinating items that it took us two trips to see it all!!
Sayan Mahanty
12.12.2024

Nice place 💫👍👍♥️
Kyle Drexel
31.08.2024

Wonderful historical artifacts on display. It's a smaller collection than some, but very high quality. Worth a visit.
Khalid Khaliq
16.08.2024

Small museum, free entry, very educational. Worth a visit whilst in Cambridge.
Jakob Lucas
25.07.2024

Beautiful collection of scientific equipment acquired from a collector who truly cares about the context and quality. Many older pieces combined with newer sets from the late 20th century really add to one's appreciation of scientific development. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the evolution of discovery.
Gyöngyvér Pósz
12.07.2024

Four big room packed with interesting scientific or science-related objects. Fun activities for the smaller ones too.
Joanna Nguyen-Truong
11.07.2024

Free to visit. Nice collection!
Caitlin O
12.06.2024

Fantastic museum with very friendly staff!
Etheria H
13.04.2024

Love the interior style and the items they display at this museum. There are two floors, the first floor has a hall, a hallway, and a chamber for exhibiting both vintage and modern technology items. The chamber upstairs is for showing different globes that were made throughout time and from different countries. This museum is mostly concentrated on showing astrology-related items, such as telescopes, globes, etc, but they also have more than that, such as films, microscopes, calculates, pocket watches, etc. It is a very educational place, and friendly for both astronomy amateurs and students.
Michael Clark
05.04.2024

An interesting collection with some interactive exhibits.
Gerard van Dalen
23.02.2024

Very nice overview of the history of science.
Colin H
08.01.2024

Said it was open on web site . Shut when we got here .
Francesco Marchini
08.01.2024

It's not a big museum but it has a lot of different scientific tools and objects that are quite nice. Everything is organized well and I enjoyed a lot visiting this museum.
Manvendra Nigam
13.12.2023

Show how the science had evolved from Napier bone ,slide rule , difference engine to iPad . Different experience
Eduardo Quintana
07.11.2023

La ciencia no es una herramienta aislada o robótica, la practican los humanos y se trabaja en ella en un contexto y bajo ideas filosóficas. Así lo entendió Robert Whipple, fundador de este museo, de la Universidad de Cambridge, que posee telescopios, calculadoras, microscopios, mapamundis, instrumentos ópticos y mecánicos y hasta juegos victorianos. Forma parte del Departamento de Historia y Filosofía de la Ciencia de la universidad inglesa, así que también se practica la enseñanza y la investigación aquí. Forman parte de su colección una variedad de mapamundis de siglos pasados, incluyendo uno de “los canales de Marte”, uno de los telescopios fabricado por el astrónomo William Herschel hacia 1790 (el descubridor del planeta Urano), un astrolabio persa del Siglo XVIII y una parte de la máquina diferencial de Charles Babbage y hasta un microscopio utilizado por Charles Darwin. Todo esto, sin olvidar que el edificio principal conserva su arquitectyra de 1618, recordemos que la universidad fue fundada en 1209. Fuente: 5 museos de ciencia de Europa que tenés que conocer sí o sí - Ciencia del Sur
Andy Dawson
31.10.2023

Fantastic, really interesting place to spend a couple of hours. Plenty of interactive hands-on stuff for the younger ones.
Sarah Dudley
08.10.2023

Always a pleasure to visit. Quiet but full of treasures and interesting tidbits.
Viktoriya Shabanova
02.09.2023

Small museum, but packed with information and history. I do recommend at least stopping by, as I am pretty sure it has something for everyone interested in the history of science. If not, you'll get to admire all the wood work up on the ceiling! Entrance is free, but they do ask for a small donation.
Ania S
19.08.2023

A small place tucked away, fantastic things to see in here - especially if you are big into astronomy like myself.
Mamoru Komachi
06.08.2023

Lots of historical objects. There are two study rooms for kids to learn scientific backgrounds.

 

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