Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge
Department of Earth Sciences
Downing Street
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB2 3EQ
England
Website
Web site for the musuem
General email address
Telephone
General enquiries
01223 333456
Fax
01223 333450
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. Also a major teaching and research resource in the Department of Earth Sciences, the Sedgwick Museum collections are a national treasure.
Venue Type:
Museum
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.
The Museum's collections are organised broadly into five major categories - Palaeontology (fossils), Mineralogy (minerals), Petrology (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks), Building Stones and the 'Woodwardian Collection'. The Sedgwick Museum also houses a collection of Archive material, containing records from the 17th Century to the present day.
Only a small proportion of the collections are on display. The remainder of the collections are held in specialist storage and can be visited by appointment.
Collection details
Natural Sciences
Key artists and exhibits
- Fossils, dinosaurs, rocks, minerals, local geology
- Sedgwick's collection
- Building stones collection
- Woodwardian collection
- Darwin collection
- Harker collection
- Designated Collection
Ediacaran Enigmas: Resolving the fossil record of early animals
- 1 March 2014 — 1 March 2015 *on now
This display is a snapshot of the research taking place in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge on fossils from the 540-580 million year old Ediacaran Period, known as the 'Ediacaran Biota'.
These completely soft-bodied organisms were some of the earliest complex multicellular life on Earth and included the first fossils that can be recognised as animals. The display focuses on one group, the frond-shaped Rangeomorphs. These organisms were like nothing else that has ever been discovered and studies in Cambridge are attempting to better understand these 'Ediacaran enigmas'.
Casts of fossils from Newfoundland in Canada are displayed alongside ones from Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire. This is the first time most of these specimens have been on display anywhere in the world. Also on display are 3D mathematical digital models of these organisms, produced using current research, which try and interpret how some of these organisms may have looked in life. The research in Cambridge makes this the most up-to-date and accurate display on Ediacaran fossils in the UK.
Website
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/index.php?page=exhibitions
Exploring the Wenlock Reef
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/wenlock/index.html
This is an online learning resource based on the Sedgwick Museum's collection of fossils from the 400 million year old Wenlock coral reef. The website includes lots of information about one of the famous fossil collections in the Museum, including a searchable museum catalogue and high quality pictures of many of the fossils. There is also a wealth of information about the creatures and the time and place in which they lived, with a focus on how earth scientists use detective work to collect and interpret evidence to piece these stories together.
Creator
- Sedgwick Museum
How to obtain
Follow the link
Facilitated Museum Visits
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/index.php?page=schools-and-colleges
A facilitated visit will last an hour and a half which includes some exploring time, but you are welcome to stay on after the session to keep exploring the collection. We have sessions for Key Stages 1 & 2, and we are also happy to create more bespoke sessions if you have a topic in mind. All sessions include exploring time, a handling session and an interactive talk.
Creator
- Sedgwick museum
How to obtain
Contat the Education Team museumeducation@esc.cam.ac.uk
These sessions must be pre-booked at least 4 weeks in advance. Facilitated sessions are only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Handling loan boxes
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/index.php?page=schools-and-colleges
Big Box of Rocks and Fabulous Fossils
These sets contain approximately 20 large rock or fossil specimens representing a wide range of ages and species of fossils and rock types and textures. They are all real objects from the Sedgwick Museum collections which have been very kindly loaned by the Museum curators to the education service for handling.
Both rocks and fossils are fantastic for all sorts of activities; sorting, classification, observational drawing, creative writing. Loans sets are supported by basic guidance notes compiled in consultation with our teachers group.
Fossil rubbings
This set of fossil casts (not real fossils but perfect replicas) is for making rubbings using wax crayons. This is an excellent activity for early years and for projects exploring different textures in the natural and made environment.
Dinosaur loan box
A set of 8 casts of teeth, claws and an egg from some of the most well known dinosaurs. Includes some basic fact sheets, great for a hands on session before a trip to the museum.
Creator
- Sedgwick Museum
How to obtain
Contact the Education Team on museumeducation@esc.cam.ac.uk
All the loan boxes are available on request for up to 3 weeks. They are free of charge, but please note that charges may be made for losses or damage sustained during a loan.
Story loan boxes
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/index.php?page=early-years-education
“Hot Hot Hot” and “Boy”
Two loan boxes for Early Years developed in partnership with Brunswick Nursery School and Homerton Early Years Centre in Cambridge. Creative activities and objects for handling, including mineral specimens and fossil casts based on the books “Oscar and Arabella: Hot, Hot, Hot” by Neal Layton and “Boy” by James Mayhew. The boxes include notes for teachers on EYC links and ideas for creative play and storytelling.
Creator
- Sedgwick Museum
How to obtain
Contact the Education Team on museumeducation@esc.cam.ac.uk
Both the loan boxes are available on request for up to 3 weeks. They are free of charge, but please note that charges may be made for losses or damage sustained during a loan.
Teachers Pack
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/uploads/images/Learning/Information%20pack%20for%20Teachers%202013.pdf
Everything you need to plan a group visit to the Sedgwick Museum
Creator
- Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences.
How to obtain
Click the link to download the PDF.
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