Museum of Cambridge

About Us

Visit us and explore over 300 years of Cambridgeshire history and heritage. Our Museum has something for everyone, and our collections include objects related to the everyday life, customs, and traditions of the local people of the area.

We love the way that objects can help us to reflect on our histories. They bear marks that help us to appreciate their makers, their owners, and their users. The stories that they share can still have meaning today. We want to understand those stories and to continue making connections between the past and the present by collecting peoples’ stories today.

Folklorist Enid Porter was the longest serving Museum curator (1947-1976) and her work characterises our collection. She collected and preserved local heritage for future generations, recording people’s stories and memories.  Porter also shaped modern English folklore studies. We are reviving her ethos and ideas through projects exploring more recent, diverse heritage, reflecting and recording stories of development and change.

Our Building

Known as The Cambridge and County Folk Museum for over 70 years, our building is a Grade II listed 16th century former coaching inn. It’s an increasingly rare and important example of an historic timber-framed building of its type that is still open to the public. Used by the townspeople of Cambridge, it was once a domestic dwelling. Its layout changed over time and so it developed an eccentric character with winding staircases and uneven floors. Our building is sure to make your visit memorable.

We also have a multi-function room available to hire privately for groups, classes or events-  contact us to find out more.