In case you didn’t know, Cambridge is chock full of museums. Completely lousy with them, in fact. When most of your buildings are at least 100 years old, I suppose that will happen. And as I learned while walking about Cambridge, you don’t always know that a building is a museum. You might notice a few clues if you are paying attention as you go, though. One of my favourite discoveries was the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science, an elegant but perfectly suited building. If you find yourself in Cambridge, make your way there….
My biggest tip when you are in Cambridge is: always stop and look at a building. I’ve heard some people say that they all start to run together, but always stop. I immediately stopped when I saw an elephant carved into the side of a building… Yes, you read that correctly- an elephant. Not what you might expect to see!
This is on Downing Street, home to one of the major science sites in Cambridge. And if you pop through the entrance way into the lovely courtyard, you discover that this is in fact a museum! This little cluster of building is Downing Site. (You might think it is a college, but it isn’t.) This particular building was opened on 1 March 1904, making it a cool 115 years old.
We didn’t have time to go inside- punting called- but it is at the top of my list for when I return. The collection was built on Dr. John Woodward’s original collection, and now includes ichthyosaur skeletons sold by Mary Anning. You can also see several of Darwin’s specimens, if you happen to be a fan of his expeditions and work.
Have you visited the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge?
Cheers,
The Historian
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