The Sedgwick Museum

About the venue

The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences is the oldest of the University of Cambridge museums, having been established in 1728 as the Woodwardian Museum.

Since then the collection has grown from about 10,000 fossils, minerals and rocks, to at least 2 million. A walk through the museum will take you on a 4.5 billion year journey through time, from the meteoritic building blocks of planets to the thousands of fossils of animals and plants that illustrate the evolution of life in the oceans, on land and in the air. There is a range of great permanent displays, as well as temporary exhibitions that come and go. These include collaborations with researchers and artists and also reflect relevant news stories, events and anniversaries. The Sedgwick Museum’s collections are an important resource for research, learning and enjoyment. The Museum is responsible for the care of approximately 2 million specimens from around the world, encompassing more than 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history.