Whipple Museum of the History of Science

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science sits in a former school building on Free School Lane in Cambridge. It belongs to the University of Cambridge and holds a wide range of objects used in science over many centuries. The collection was started in 1944 when Robert Whipple gave his instruments to the university. The museum’s holdings have since grown to include books, prints and photographs alongside scientific tools. Its importance has been recognised by a national designation for its “national and international importance”. The museum forms part of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge. It supports teaching and research with a working library of early scientific books. Some volumes came from Whipple himself, who also led the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. The department uses the museum’s objects to illustrate how science developed over time. Many items once belonged to Cambridge colleges and departments before joining the collection. Visitors find rooms filled with instruments from the 17th to the 19th centuries made by English makers. Astronomy, navigation and surveying tools stand alongside sundials and early electrical devices. The displays stretch from medieval pieces to modern apparatus. A working library offers early scientific books for study. The building’s former school rooms provide an uncluttered setting for these objects.