Explore a remarkable range of scientific instruments used to make sense of the world, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Discover objects from astronomy, navigation, surveying, drawing and calculation, including sundials, mathematical instruments, early electrical apparatus—and even a microscope once owned by Charles Darwin.
Plus, enjoy hands-on activities in the newly refurbished Learning Gallery, perfect for little ones — or book a Whipple Highlights guided tour. Afterwards, take home a treat from the Whipple gift shop to remember your visit.
Explore a remarkable range of scientific instruments used to make sense of the world, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Discover objects from astronomy, navigation, surveying, drawing and calculation, including sundials, mathematical instruments, early electrical apparatus—and even a microscope once owned by Charles Darwin.
Plus, enjoy hands-on activities in the newly refurbished Learning Gallery, perfect for little ones — or book a Whipple Highlights guided tour. Afterwards, take home a treat from the Whipple gift shop to remember your visit.
This January, The Art of Deception will take visitors to Cambridge’ Whipple Museum of the History of Science into the dark underbelly of the world of collecting. How do fake artefacts end up in museums? Who made them, and why? And how do we detect them?
With all this talk about machine learning, we thought we'd get our heads around it too!
Come and join the Centre for Computing History as they teach a micro:bit to recognise some basic gestures and use it on a museum trail.
Aimed at age 12+. Booking essential.
This event is part of Twilight at the Museums 2026.
Join us for a night safari adventure, at our special after-hours opening for families. We'll turn our lights down very low, so bring a torch and search the museum for dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, some of whom roamed Cambridgeshire thousands of years ago.
Drop in to our hands-on activity stations: investigate fossils close up and explore beautiful minerals that glow in the dark under UV light.
Robert Plane is one of our top clarinettists – a regular principal with the best orchestras and constantly sought-after as a soloist and chamber musician. Robert is constantly expanding the clarinet’s repertoire, rediscovering forgotten works, masterminding major recording projects and working closely with composers. In this concert, Robert will join forces with the peerless Gould Piano Trio, three exceptional musicians, to make up a formidable quartet of pure quality.
Created by Jim and Helen Ede, the house combines their collection of twentieth-century art alongside furniture, textiles, ceramics and natural objects in what Jim Ede described as ‘a space, an ambience, a home’.
On this guided tour, get to know the story behind the creation of Kettle’s Yard, gain fascinating insights into some of the artworks and objects on display, and learn about the relationships between the Edes and the many artists in the collection.
Our free Snowdrop Trail, available at the Garden’s ticket offices, will guide you to the Garden’s ‘snowdrop hotspot walking routes’ where you’ll see our snowdrops growing and discover more about snowdrop science, history, folklore and cultivation from information panels in these areas.
The Snowdrop Trail is free with normal Garden admission. There is no pre-booking required.
Explore our current exhibition in this free lunchtime tour.
Explore our current exhibition with exhibition artist Harold Offeh.
