Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

The collections

The museum's founding collection, the Museum Woodwardianum, holds nearly 10,000 objects and is described as the oldest intact geological collection in the world. Around it sit galleries of fossils, minerals and rocks, including a complete replica Iguanodon skeleton given by the King of Belgium in 1896, a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, and a Megaloceros giant deer skeleton bought by Adam Sedgwick himself.

A map that changed geology

One of the stand-out pieces is William Smith's geological map of Britain, published in 1815 and nearly nine feet tall. It was the first map of its kind for the country and is well worth pausing over, even if rocks are not normally your thing.

Planning a visit

Booking is only needed for groups, so individuals can walk in. It is open six days a week and closed on Sundays. There is no café and food is not allowed inside, so plan lunch in the centre before or after. The entrance is up a staircase, with step-free access by lift through the Department of Earth Sciences; contact the museum in advance if you need it. The University Museum of Zoology is a short walk away.

Highlights

• Free entry
• Replica Iguanodon skeleton given in 1896
• William Smith's 1815 geological map
• The Museum Woodwardianum collection
• University of Cambridge's oldest museum

Good to know

• Free, no booking needed except for groups
• Closed on Sundays
• No café; eating and drinking not allowed inside
• Lift access via the Department of Earth Sciences; contact the museum in advance; large buggies and wheelchairs do not fit, but a folding wheelchair can be borrowed

Frequently asked questions