Whipple Museum of the History of Science

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science is a Museum attached to the University (link is external) of Cambridge (link is external), United Kingdom (link is external), which houses an extensive collection of scientific (link is external) instruments (link is external), apparatus, models, pictures, prints, photographs, books and other material related to the history of science (link is external), dating from the Middle Ages to the present. It is located in the former Perse School (link is external) on Free School Lane, and was founded in 1944, when Robert Whipple (link is external) presented his collection of scientific instruments to the University of Cambridge (link is external).

The Museum's collection is 'designated' (link is external) by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) as being of "national and international importance".

The museum's holdings are particularly strong in material dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries, especially objects produced by English instrument makers, although the collection contains objects dating from the medieval period (link is external) to the present day. Instruments of astronomy (link is external), navigation (link is external), surveying (link is external), drawing (link is external) andcalculating (link is external) are well represented, as are sundials (link is external), mathematical instruments (link is external) and early electrical apparatus (link is external).

Since Robert Whipple's initial gift of the collection, the Museum has come to house many instruments formerly used in the Colleges and Departments of the University of Cambridge.

You may find it useful to consult:

• Starry Messenger (link is external): an online history of astronomy.
• Guide to scientific instrument resources (link is external): although designed specifically for students within the University of Cambridge, this guide provides links to online instrument catalogues and suggestions for further reading.

Group Visits

Due to space considerations, groups are limited to 25 people at once or one school class per session (plus accompanying adults). Larger parties are required to split into two or more groups and visit the museum separately. Unfortunately we have no waiting areas available, but there are many nearby University museums  (link is external)that can be visited by groups while waiting for their turn. Please book visits to these museums in advance.