List of museums in Cambridgeshire facts for kids

This list of museums in Cambridgeshire, England helps you find cool places to visit! Museums are like special treasure chests. They collect and take care of interesting objects from history, art, science, or different cultures. Then, they show these collections to everyone. This list also includes art galleries and university art spaces.

Exploring Museums in Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is home to many fantastic museums, each offering a unique peek into history, science, art, and local life. Get ready to discover some amazing places!

Historic Homes and Grand Estates

Step back in time and explore the grand houses where people used to live.

• Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill in Lode is a beautiful 1930s house. It has a collection of rare clocks, lovely gardens, and a working flour mill you can see.
• Burghley House near Peterborough is a huge 16th-century country house. It has amazing gardens and collections of fine art and decorations.
• Elton Hall in Elton is a grand old hall with beautiful gardens. It sits on a very large estate.
• Hinchingbrooke House in Huntingdon is a historic Tudor country house. It was once home to famous families like the Cromwells.
• Kimbolton Castle in Kimbolton was the last home of King Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon. You can sometimes take tours here.
• Longthorpe Tower in Longthorpe is a 14th-century tower. It has amazing medieval wall paintings inside.
• The Manor (Cambridgeshire) in Hemingford Grey is one of Britain's oldest houses that people have lived in continuously. It became famous in the "Green Knowe" children's books.
• Octavia Hill's Birthplace House in Wisbech is the home of Octavia Hill. She was a social reformer who helped create the National Trust.
• Oliver Cromwell's House in Ely was the home of Oliver Cromwell, a famous English leader from the 1600s.
• Peckover House & Garden in Wisbech is a Georgian merchant's townhouse. It has a lovely Victorian walled garden.
• Wimpole Hall in Wimpole is a fancy mansion with beautiful gardens and grounds.
• Wisbech Castle in Wisbech is a Regency-style house and grounds.

Science, Technology, and Innovation

Discover how things work and learn about amazing inventions!

• Cambridge Museum of Technology in Cambridge is located in an old sewage pumping station. It shows equipment and items from local industries.
• Cambridge Science Centre in Cambridge offers hands-on science exhibits. You can try experiments and learn through fun workshops.
• Centre for Computing History in Cambridge explores technology. It shows how computers have changed our lives and history.
• Prickwillow Museum in Prickwillow tells the story of how the Fens landscape was changed. It has restored diesel engines in an old pumping station.
• Railworld in Peterborough focuses on sustainable transport. It has model trains, real railway engines, and railway items.
• The Polar Museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge is part of the University of Cambridge. It shares the history and science of exploring the Arctic and Antarctic.
• Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, is all about geology. You can see rocks, minerals, and fossils.
• Stretham Old Engine in Stretham is a working steam engine. It shows how old machines helped drain the Fens.
• Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, has historic scientific tools. It tells the story of how science has grown.

Art and Amazing Collections

Explore beautiful artworks and unique collections from around the world.

• Cambridge University Library in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, often has changing exhibits. These shows feature art, history, and culture from its vast collections.
• Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, is a huge art museum. It has fine art, coins, Egyptian items, ancient treasures, and Asian art.
• Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, is an art gallery. It shows art from the 20th and 21st centuries.
• New Hall Art Collection in Cambridge, at Murray Edwards College, features art created by women artists.
• People's Portraits Exhibition at Girton College in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, is a long-term exhibit. It shows portraits of everyday people painted by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
• Ruskin Gallery in Cambridge is part of Anglia Ruskin University. It showcases various art exhibitions.
• Stained Glass Museum in Ely is inside Ely Cathedral. It displays beautiful historic and modern stained glass art.
• Taggart Gallery and Museum in Great Staughton has a shop and a museum with historic decorative tiles.
• Wysing Arts Centre in Bourn is a modern arts center.

Local History and Everyday Life

Learn about the history of towns and how people lived in the past.

• Blacked-Out Britain War Museum in Huntingdon shows what everyday life was like in Britain during World War II.
• Burwell Museum in Burwell has themed exhibits. You can see old farm tools, period rooms, military items, and even a Victorian school room.
• Chatteris Museum in Chatteris focuses on local history and culture.
• Ely Museum in Ely tells the story of the area's history, culture, and nature. It's located in the old Bishop's gaol (jail).
• March and District Museum in March explores local history and culture.
• Museum of Cambridge in Cambridge shows local history and culture. It has displays of period rooms and items from everyday life.
• Norris Museum, Cambridgeshire in St Ives focuses on local history and culture.
• Peterborough Museum in Peterborough covers local history, art, archaeology, and natural history. It even has Jurassic fossils!
• Ramsey Rural Museum CIO in Ramsey shows the history of rural Fenland life. It has old period rooms, businesses, and farm tools.
• St Neots Museum in St Neots shares local history and culture. You can even see old prison cells.
• Thorney Heritage Museum in Thorney focuses on local history and culture.
• Whittlesey Museum in Whittlesey explores local history and culture.
• Wisbech & Fenland Museum in Wisbech covers local history, culture, natural history, and decorative arts.

Cool Aviation and Military Museums

Discover the history of planes, vehicles, and brave soldiers.

• Fenland & West Norfolk Aviation Museum in Wisbech focuses on military aviation. It covers conflicts like World War II and the Falklands War.
• Imperial War Museum Duxford in Duxford is a huge museum with military aircraft, vehicles, and artillery. It's a must-see for aviation fans!
• Tower Museum Bassingbourn near Royston tells the history of RAF Bassingbourn during World War II.
• Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum in Waterbeach (currently closed) shares the history of RAF Waterbeach and Waterbeach Barracks.

Unique and Special Places

These museums offer something a little different!

• Bourn Windmll in Bourn is an open trestle post mill. You can learn how windmills used to work.
• Cambridge University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, has specimens of fossil and living animals. It's like a journey through the animal kingdom!
• Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey in Waterbeach combines agriculture and local history. It also features a historic abbey from the 12th century.
• Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre and Archaeology Park in Peterborough is an open-air site. It has reconstructed buildings and finds from a Bronze Age settlement.
• Houghton Mill in Houghton is a restored water mill. You can see how flour was made in the past.
• Lawrence Room in Cambridge, at Girton College, Cambridge, has ancient items. These include Anglo-Saxon, Egyptian, and Classical Mediterranean artifacts.
• Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, has items from around the world. These include artifacts from England, Ancient Rome, Africa, and the Pacific.
• Museum of Classical Archaeology in Cambridge, part of the University of Cambridge, has plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures.
• Rupert Brooke Museum in Grantchester tells the story of the poet Rupert Brooke. It's next to The Orchard tea garden.
• Wimpole Home Farm in Arrington is an 18th-century working farm. You can see how farming was done long ago.

Images for kids

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  Anglesey Abbey

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  Cambridge Museum of Technology

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  Cambridge University Library

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  Cambridge University Museum of Zoology

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  Cromwell Museum

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  Denny Abbey

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  Elton Hall

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  Fitzwilliam Museum

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  Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre

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  Hinchingbrooke House

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  Houghton Mill

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  Imperial War Museum Duxford

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  Kettle's Yard

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  Kimbolton Castle

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  Longthorpe Tower

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  The Manor, Hemingford Grey

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  Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

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  Museum of Cambridge

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  Oliver Cromwell's House

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  Peckover House

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  Peterborough Museum

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  Prickwillow Museum

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  Railworld

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  The Polar Museum

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  Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

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  Stained Glass Museum

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  Stretham Old Engine

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  Thorney Heritage Museum

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  Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum

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  Whipple Museum of the History of Science

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  Wimpole Hall

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  Wimpole Home Farm

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  Wisbech & Fenland Museum