Cambridge Attractions: The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

The museum is on a single floor of a long, narrow building. The collection is displayed chronologically, starting with the Ice Ages, or Pleistocene period.

The Ice Ages area of the museum prominently features the cast of a skeleton of a giant deer. Herds of these creatures roamed the plains of Cambridgeshire during the Ice Ages.

The Volcanoes, Rivers and Seas section follows the Ice Ages. As with the entire museum, the display cases provide detailed information, and a selection of the museum’s vast fossil collection.

The more recent geological periods are displayed in a slightly more modern setting, as this part of the museum has been refurbished.

At the end of the chronological display, there is a recreation of Dr Woodward’s study that can be viewed through glass. This is how his study looked in the 17^th Century, and includes the beautiful wooden cases that he commissioned for the storage of his geological collection.

The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences in Cambridge, England holds an internationally important collection of over 1.5 million fossils, rocks and minerals.

The museum is situated within the University of Cambridge Earth Sciences department. The museum building was constructed in the early years of the 20^th Century, and the exterior is embellished with reliefs of creatures now extinct.

At first glance, a casual visitor might think that the museum would be of interest only to students, scientists and amateur geologists. The interior is mainly filled with a rows of fixed cases, as the display is intended to preserve the essentially Victorian/ early Edwardian character of the early Sedgwick Museum.

A closer inspection reveals much of interest to the average museum visitor. The museum itself has an interesting history, the collection has been set out to tell a story and there is a fascinating part of the museum devoted to the geological collection amassed by Charles Darwin on the voyage of the Beagle.

The Sedgwick Museum may not be suitable for the majority of very young children, but it does provide leaflets, guides and activity sheets for school aged children. There are some interactive displays, and exhibits that can be touched. In my opinion younger school children would most enjoy a visit when accompanied by an adult rather than left to find their own way around the museum.

Access for those with physical disabilities is somewhat limited. The main entrance is via steps (see photos) although according to the museum literature there is a small lift, but it may not be accessible to all types of wheelchair.

The Sedgwick Museum has a small shop that sells toys, books, fossils and jewellery. When I visited the woman who was staffing the shop was very friendly and helpful. She offered information about other places in Cambridge that I might be interested in visiting

Dr John Woodward assembled a geological collection in the 17^th Century. His collection is held within the Sedgwick Museum, and is the oldest geological collection still intact.

Dr Woodward established and endowed the Woodwardian Chair of Geology at Cambridge University.

In 1808, Adam Sedgwick graduated from Cambridge University with distinction in Mathematics, and was elected to the Woodwardian Chair of Geology when it became vacant in 1818.

Adam Sedgwick built up a major geological school at Cambridge and expanded the geological collection.

After his death his friends and colleagues raised funds to build the present Sedgwick Museum, which was opened in 1904 by King Edward VII.

The Sedgwick Museum holds the geological collection that was amassed by Charles Darwin on the voyage of HMS Beagle.  This collection includes over 1500 rocks, and some fossils.

Charles Darwin had been a student at King’s College, Cambridge.  On 27 December 1831, when he was 22, he set sail on HMS Beagle . The voyage lasted 5 years.  During this time he collected rocks and fossils, sending them back to England in batches and corresponding with scientists with theories and questions about his findings.

Prior to the Beagle expedition, Charles Darwin had studied under and undertaken field work with Adam Sedgwick.  Adam Sedgwick taught Darwin how to make take geological notes, draw geological maps and take field samples.

Captain Robert Fitzroy was the chief officer on a British naval voyage to survey the coast of South America.

Captain Fitzroy invited Charles Darwin to sail on the voyage of HMS Beagle because he wanted to take along someone with an interest in natural science.  However, Darwin was not the official ship’s scientist, and his father had to pay for his place on the ship.

The museum displays include examples of the research and findings of prominent geologists who followed from Charles Darwin.  These span the years from the 1800s until the present day.

The Sedgwick Museum is located in Downing Street, Cambridge.  This is within Cambridge’s historic city centre.

The central bus station and public car parks are a short walk away.  It you are travelling to Cambridge by car you may wish to use the Park and Ride service.  This allows you to park on the edge of the city and get a bus into the centre.  I advise using this service if you are not accustomed to driving along narrow roads in competition with large numbers of cyclists.

Cambridge is a short distance from London via train or road.