Venue Description

Welcome to the University Museum of Zoology The Museum is one of Cambridge's major attractions, displaying thousands of specimens spanning the entire animal kingdom, from elephants, giant ground sloths and giraffes, to birds, reptiles, insects and molluscs. It is part of the University of Cambridge Department of Zoology and welcomes over 75,000 visitors every year. Entry to the Museum is free. Our collections are amongst the best in the world. As well as being open for the public to enjoy, they are used for academic study by researchers and students worldwide. The Museum holds many wonderful treasures, such as specimens discovered by the great naturalists, including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. The collection contains approximately two million items and thousands of these are on display. Changing displays and temporary exhibitions highlight unusual and significant items from the Museum's stores, such as the skeleton of the extinct Dodo.

Accessibility

The main museum entrance is fully accessible from street level. Please enter the New Museums Site via the Pembroke Arch (located on Pembroke Street, roughly opposite the end of Tennis Court Road). The museum entrance is located through the Whale Hall, a large glass building to your right. Access to the entrance level is via a ramp or 11 paved steps. The steps and ramp have handrails on both sides. Once on this level visitors should turn right, past two stone benches, and enter through automatic glass doors. The whale hall is a large space with high ceilings. This space is shared with the café on the next level and so can become loud if busy. An audio installation called ‘Ocean Song’ plays every 30 minutes, and runs for 15 minutes. Our 70ft fin whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling, with visitors entering underneath. A suspended walkway gives visitors the opportunity to have a side view of the whale, accessed by a spiral staircase of 11 and 10 steps, separated by a small landing tread (with open backed steps and handrails on both sides) or by the lift, arriving at the walkway through the café. The reception desk, museum gallery entrance, shop and toilets are located at one end of the Whale Hall.

Accessibility Guide

Accessibility Guide Link: http://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/visit-us/access-information

Accessible Performances

The Museum of Zoology education team lead audio descriptive and touch tours as part of the University of Cambridge Museums ‘Making Sense’ tours programme. This service is also available to blind and partially sighted groups, if requested when booking.

Awards List

Kids in Museums, Family Friendly Museum of the Year runner-up Cambridgeshire Museum of the Year Award - Winner 2019

Toilets

A Changing Places Toilet can be found in the Grand Arcade shopping centre on the Level -1 of the South (Lower) car park. This is located next to the Car Park Customer Service office and Shopmobility with disabled parking. Provided by Cambridge City Council. See website for details: http://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/toilet/view/90

Staff

Information about the staff has not been added for this venue.

Assistance dog facilities

Assistance dog exercise facilities

Guide dogs, hearing dogs and dogs for the disabled are welcome at the museum.