The Museum of Cambridge

Be My Valentine!
2023-02-14 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Tired of sitting around waiting for a Valentine’s card from a suitable admirer? Take matters into your own hands and join us for an evening of loved-up crafting fun!
Make a Valentine’s gift for that special place that will always be there for you – Cambridgeshire!
Come and make a My Mini Museum exhibit all about the things you love most about the place where you live. Have a glass of wine, investigate what people in the past have found special about this place and get making something a little bit amazing!
Come alone or with a friend, bring your anti-Valentine sensibilities or even a date you’d like to impress – everyone from 18 to 108 is very welcome! No crafting experience is required, just a sense of fun!
Better yet, this event is completely free!
For more information about the My Mini Museum project, please take a look at our website here.
A big thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cambridge City Council for making this project possible.
This event is completely free to all participants. However, if you would like to make a donation to support the work of the Museum, we would be very grateful. Your generosity will support us to run even more special events for the local community. Donations can be made online or by cheque. Thank you!

My Mini Museum Makers - Workshop for Families
2023-02-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join us for a family-friendly workshop and get crafting your very own Mini Museum!
We’re calling the residents of Cambridgeshire to celebrate the place they call home – in miniature!
Come and join us at the Museum of Cambridge to help us make a brilliant exhibition together about what you love the most about Cambridgeshire today: its people, its places and its stories.
Can you help us build a Mini Museum exhibit all about you?
Suitable for children aged 6 and above and their families.
Booking is essential and you can reserve your free places using the Eventbrite link below, or should you prefer, do feel free to email us directly: sarah.hutton@museumofcambridge.org.uk.
For more information about the My Mini Museum project, take a look at our website here.
The Museum of Cambridge is very centrally located, just ten-fifteen minutes walk from the main bus stops in Cambridge city centre. Find out more about how to get here by train, bike, bus, car or on foot on our website.
You can also read about our accessibility information on our website. If you’d like to chat through any accessibility requirements, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01223 355159 or email sarah.hutton@museumofcambridge.org.uk.
Please note that photographs will be taken throughout the session, and images taken will be used to promote further Museum events, as well as in funding reports. If you do not wish you or your family’s photograph to be taken, please make sure to let us know ahead of time.
A big thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cambridge City Council for making this project possible.
This project is completely free to all participants. However, if you would like to make a donation to support the work of the Museum, we would be very grateful. Your generosity will support us to run even more special events for the local community. Donations can be made online or by cheque. Thank you!

Dusk Discoverers!
2023-02-16 16:00 - 19:00 | The Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
New! Dusk Discoverers trail
Book your free place on the trail now!
Come and discover the Museum of Cambridge after dark!
Watch our collection come alive under the moonlight, Discover our 300 year old building. Insights in to the lives and living of people in Cambridge
Come along to the Museum of Cambridge between 4pm-7pm to discover more.
Bring along the whole family!
Children are free, adults normal admission applies (£6 at the desk)
Suitable for all ages!

Tricks and Trails - Storytelling, Arts and Crafts
2023-02-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Come along to a FREE storytelling, arts and crafts adventure!

Chip will take your imagination by storm in a fun interactive storytelling session featuring tricks and games from around Cambridge!

Make your own tricks to try out with your friends and families in our arts and crafts session!

Suitable for all ages.

Click the link to reserve your free space!

Little Feet, Big Impressions
2023-02-23 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-03-02 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-03-16 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-03-30 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-04-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-04-27 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-05-11 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-05-25 10:00 - 11:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Engage in these free, fun and interactive sessions for your 1-5 year old.
Sessions will welcome the making of connections and community. A chance to meet chat, make friends and entertain your small people.
Tea, Coffee and Biscuits will be provided! Changing facilities available.
Siblings also welcome to attend.

Preserving the Past- Archiving Cambridge
2023-02-24 10:30 - 12:30, 2023-02-24 14:30 - 16:30, 2023-02-25 10:30 - 12:30, 2023-02-25 14:30 - 16:30, 2023-02-26 11:00 - 13:00, 2023-02-26 14:00 - 16:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join us at the Museum of Cambridge to find out more about the work of archivists and curators. Explore some of our collection and find out how the documents and objects museums and archives preserve, help us to tell the story of our shared past.
This two-hour introductory workshop for adults will give lots of opportunities to investigate items from our collection, discuss the challenges of preserving and sharing the past, and provide an opportunity to get arty by making Mini Museums of our own.
For more information about the My Mini Museum project, please take a look at our website here.
A big thank you to Cambridge City Council for making this project promoting wellbeing and support for good mental health possible.
This project is completely free to all participants. However, if you would like to make a donation to support the work of the Museum, we would be very grateful. Your generosity will support us to run even more special events for the local community. Donations can be made online or by cheque. Thank you!

Talk: Clara Dorothea Rackham Socialist, Suffragist, Social Reformer
2023-03-08 18:30 - 21:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Mary Joannou, Emeritus Professor of Literary History and Women’s Writing at ARU, talks to us about Cambridge activist Clara Rackham.
Join the Museum of Cambridge for an evening talk with Mary Joannou. Mary will talk about Clara Dorothea Rackham, Socialist, Suffragist, Social Reformer.
Mary writes: ‘I was privileged to be the first person allowed access to Clara’s unpublished family papers to write my new biography (Routledge 2022) of this amazing woman who fought passionately for women’s rights, for colonial freedom, against rural poverty, and for persons displaced by war and hunger, never allowing herself to despair or lose hope during the most dreadful and dispiriting of times’.
‘I find Clara’s tireless commitment to the struggle for penal reform, women in local government, support for the unemployed, and workers’ education an inspiration. I focus on her as one of the generation of feminists who lived through two World Wars and helped to create the Welfare State and explain how and why Cambridge would not be the city it is today without her’.
Photo credit: Cambridgeshire Collection
Mary Joannou
Mary Joannou is Emerita Professor at Anglia Ruskin University and attached to the Labour History Research Unit. She is the author of 50 peer reviewed articles in books and journals, editor of vol 8 of the Palgrave History of British Women’s Writing and four scholarly monographs, most recently Women’s Writing, Englishness and Cultural Identity: In 2018 she was the founder member of CAMVOTE100 responsible for the public commemoration of the centenary of votes for women in Cambridge and beyond and has been closely involved with the erection of the Blue Plaques for Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Leah Manning and Clara Rackham.
Accessibility
You can also read about our accessibility information on our website. If you’d like to chat through any accessibility requirements, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01223 355159 or email annie.davis@museumofcambridge.org.uk. Event attendees with additional needs are welcome to bring a supporter or carer who will be admitted to the event free of charge.
Getting Here
We are in the centre of Cambridge. You’ll find us at the corner of Castle Street and Northampton Street. We are right beside Kettle’sright beside Kettle’s Yard and only a 15-minute walk from King’s College.
You can park your bike at the bike parks on Bridge Street or on Northampton Street. There is a bus stop on Bridge Street. Check out the Stagecoach website to plan your journey to and from the Museum. Find out more about how to get here by train, bike, bus, car or on foot on our website.
Photography
Please note that photographs will be taken throughout this event, and images may be used in future marketing and reporting materials. If you do not wish your or your family’s photograph to be taken, please make sure to let us know.
Healthy Events
If you’re feeling unwell or have recently tested positive for Covid-19, please do not attend this event. We’ll be happy to offer you a refund if applicable, and welcome you at the Museum on another day.
Love events? Love them even more when they’re free? Join the Friends of the Museum of Cambridge today and you’ll get access to free events, discounts in our shop and year-round free entry for you and a guest.

Talk: The Future of Historic Landscapes: The Limits To 'Re-Wilding'
2023-03-22 18:30 - 21:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Tim Williamson, landscape historian at the University of East Anglia, talks to us about the future of nature in historic landscapes and the limits to ‘rewilding’.

Is re-wilding the best way of restoring nature to the English countryside?
What negative effects might this have on the cultural, historic landscape?
What do we mean by ‘nature’ and ‘natural’ anyway?

This talk will examine current debates in nature conservation from an historical perspective.
Tom Williamson
Tom Williamson is a landscape historian and landscape archaeologist with wide-ranging interests. His recent research projects have included a GIS-aided study of Agriculture and the Landscape in Midland England, funded by the AHRC; and investigations of the history of tree populations and tree disease in England since 1600, funded by the AHRC, DEFRA, and the Woodland Trust. He currently leads an HLF-funded project studying the history and ecology of orchards in eastern England (‘Orchards East’); and works with Chris Scull and others on a study of the important Anglo-Saxon site at Rendlesham in Suffolk, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. He also researches designed landscapes, especially parks and gardens of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and is currently involved with the Gardens Trusts of Hertfordshire and Norfolk in researching the work of the designer Humphry Repton in these two counties. He teaches courses on landscape history at undergraduate and MA level, and supervises MPhil and PhD students researching a variety of subjects related to landscape history, agricultural history, and the history of landscape design.
Virtual Events
This talk will take place on Zoom. On the day of the talk, we’ll send you a Zoom link and a password which will allow you acces to the talk. All you’ll need is a laptop or mobile phone and an internet connection.
Accessibility
If there’s anything we can do to make this virtual event more accessible, please do let us know – email annie.davis@museumofcambridge.org.uk or call 01223 355159 for a chat.
Love events? Love them even more when they’re free? Join the Friends of the Museum of Cambridge today and you’ll get access to free events, discounts in our shop and year-round free entry for you and a guest.

The Wild Escape - Comic Trail!
2023-04-01 00:00 - 2023-04-24 00:00 | The Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
This Easter Holidays and all through April, families are invited to get creative and help nature escape the Museum. On your visit, choose a creature and create a comic, drawing how it would return to nature!
Take a picture and send it to us and we will upload your comic as part of the online work that will launch on Earth Day 2023.
We can’t wait to see where nature takes you!
This trail is free and suitable for ages 7+. Under 16s are always free at the Museum.
For more information, email the Museum enquiries@museumofcambridge.org.uk or give us a call 01223 355159

The Wild Escape is a major new project led by Art Fund, uniting hundreds of museums with schools and families in a celebration of UK wildlife and creativity. The Museum of Cambridge is excited to join this project to celebrate nature in our collections!
Taking place from January to July 2023, The Wild Escape invites children to find a favourite animal in their local museum and create an artwork imagining its journey to a natural habitat.
The pictures and stories children create will be brought together in a collective work of art that imagines a better future for the wildlife on our doorstep, launched online and in venues across the UK on Earth Day 2023.
The Wild Escape is led by Art Fund alongside hundreds of museums, artists and environmentalists, in partnership with WWF, the RSPB, National Trust and English Heritage.
The Wild Escape is made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, with additional support from Kusuma Trust, Foyle Foundation and a group of generous individuals and trusts.
The Wild Escape is inspired by Wild Isles, a landmark BBC series exploring the flora and fauna of the UK.

Hidden Cambridge Tour April
2023-04-02 10:30 - 12:00 | Cambridgeshire
Take another look at Cambridge with a 90-minute Hidden Cambridge Walking Tour.
Enjoy a tour of the lesser-known Castle area of Cambridge. Discover some of the hidden nooks and crannies you’ve never noticed before!
Hear stories of beer, brothels and boatmen, and where Nobel prizes jostle with rugby players and mustard factories.
A qualified guide will lead your tour, and the ticket price includes free entry to the Museum of Cambridge within a month of the tour. All proceeds of the tours are donated to support the Museum.
Tickets are £15. Tours start at 10:30 from the Round Church in Cambridge.
Booking is essential. Follow the Eventbrite link to book: 90 minute Hidden Cambridge walking tour Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite

The Wild Escape - Storytelling!
2023-04-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Come along to a FREE storytelling, arts, and crafts adventure!
Chip will take your imagination by storm in a fun interactive storytelling session featuring Nature from around Cambridge as part of The Wild Escape!
Make your own nature trails and challenges to try out with your friends and families in our arts and crafts session!
Suitable for all ages.
Click the link to reserve your free space!
The Wild Escape is a major new project led by Art Fund, uniting hundreds of museums with schools and families in a celebration of UK wildlife and creativity. The Museum of Cambridge is excited to join this project to celebrate nature in our collections!
Taking place from January to July 2023, The Wild Escape invites children to find a favourite animal in their local museum and create an artwork imagining its journey to a natural habitat.
The pictures and stories children create will be brought together in a collective work of art that imagines a better future for the wildlife on our doorstep, launched online and in venues across the UK on Earth Day 2023.
The Wild Escape is led by Art Fund alongside hundreds of museums, artists and environmentalists, in partnership with WWF, the RSPB, National Trust and English Heritage.
The Wild Escape is made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, with additional support from Kusuma Trust, Foyle Foundation and a group of generous individuals and trusts.
The Wild Escape is inspired by Wild Isles, a landmark BBC series exploring the flora and fauna of the UK

The Wild Escape - Nature Nurturers
2023-04-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Spring has sprung, and here at the Museum of Cambridge, we are supporting our local nature as part of The Wild Escape.
Come along to make arts, crafts and wildlife care packages for your garden or local green space with The Museum of Cambridge.
Suitable for ages 3+
Family-friendly, fun, free activity!
Book tickets here to secure your space.
The Wild Escape is a major new project led by Art Fund, uniting hundreds of museums with schools and families in a celebration of UK wildlife and creativity. The Museum of Cambridge is excited to join this project to celebrate nature in our collections!
Taking place from January to July 2023, The Wild Escape invites children to find a favourite animal in their local museum and create an artwork imagining its journey to a natural habitat.
The pictures and stories children create will be brought together in a collective work of art that imagines a better future for the wildlife on our doorstep, launched online and in venues across the UK on Earth Day 2023.
The Wild Escape is led by Art Fund alongside hundreds of museums, artists and environmentalists, in partnership with WWF, the RSPB, National Trust and English Heritage.
The Wild Escape is made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, with additional support from Kusuma Trust, Foyle Foundation and a group of generous individuals and trusts.
The Wild Escape is inspired by Wild Isles, a landmark BBC series exploring the flora and fauna of the UK
Accessibility
You can also read about our accessibility information on our website. If you’d like to chat through any accessibility requirements, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01223 355159 or email sophie.casford@museumofcambridge.org.uk. Event attendees with additional needs are welcome to bring a supporter or carer who will be admitted to the event free of charge.
Getting Here
We are in the centre of Cambridge. You’ll find us at the corner of Castle Street and Northampton Street. We are right beside Kettle’s Yard and only a 15-minute walk from King’s College.
You can park your bike at the bike parks on Bridge Street or on Northampton Street. There is a bus stop on Bridge Street. Check out the Stagecoach website to plan your journey to and from the Museum. Find out more about how to get here by train, bike, bus, car or on foot on our website.
Photography
Please note that photographs will be taken throughout this event, and images may be used in future marketing and reporting materials. If you do not wish you or your family’s photograph to be taken, please make sure to let us know.
Healthy Events
If you’re feeling unwell or have recently tested positive for Covid-19, please do not attend this event. We’ll be happy to offer you a refund if applicable, and welcome you at the Museum on another day.

Love events? Love them even more when they’re free? Join the Friends of the Museum of Cambridge today and you’ll get access to free events, discounts in our shop and year-round free entry for you and a guest.

Talk: Power Of Diverse Community Engagement
2023-04-19 18:30 - 21:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join the Museum of Cambridge for a talk by Elma Glasgow, founder of Aspire Black Suffolk, exploring the power behind diverse community engagement.
Photo credit: Megan Wilson
Engaging communities from diverse backgrounds is essential for museums to be able to tell authentic and compelling historical stories.
Increasingly, the public want to see truths which have been formerly hidden. Only by giving communities the space to contribute to collections and exhibitions, can the stories be told authentically.
Elma talks about this progressive practice and shares stories and lessons from her work with the pioneering Power of Stories exhibition.
Elma Glasgow
Elma Glasgow is the founder of the award-winning community interest company, Aspire Black Suffolk, which was born out of the highly acclaimed and multi-award-winning Power of Stories exhibition by Ipswich Museums in 2021.
Also the winner of the Museums Association’s Museums Change Lives ‘Radical Changemaker’ award, Elma works on community engagement, inclusive marketing and delivers workshops and training alongside her co-directors.
Accessibility
You can also read about our accessibility information on our website. If you’d like to chat through any accessibility requirements, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01223 355159 or email annie.davis@museumofcambridge.org.uk. Event attendees with additional needs are welcome to bring a supporter or carer who will be admitted to the event free of charge.
Getting Here
We are in the centre of Cambridge. You’ll find us at the corner of Castle Street and Northampton Street. We are right beside Kettle’s Yard and only a 15-minute walk from King’s College.
You can park your bike at the bike parks on Bridge Street or on Northampton Street. There is a bus stop on Bridge Street. Check out the Stagecoach website to plan your journey to and from the Museum. Find out more about how to get here by train, bike, bus, car or on foot on our website.
Photography
Please note that photographs will be taken throughout this event, and images may be used in future marketing and reporting materials. If you do not wish you or your family’s photograph to be taken, please make sure to let us know.
Healthy Events
If you’re feeling unwell or have recently tested positive for Covid-19, please do not attend this event. We’ll be happy to offer you a refund if applicable, and welcome you at the Museum on another day.
Love events? Love them even more when they’re free? Join the Friends of the Museum of Cambridge today and you’ll get access to free events, discounts in our shop and year-round free entry for you and a guest.

Mugs, Medals and a Meal for 15,000: A People's History of Coronations in Cambridgeshire
2023-05-05 - 2023-07-14 | Cambridgeshire
Visit the Museum of Cambridge from May to July to see never before displayed items of Cambridgeshire’s coronation history. The people of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire have been celebrating special royal moments in style since the coronation of Queen Victoria’s feast for 15,000 people on Parker’s Piece in 1838.
Era-defining objects from the Museum’s stores will be on display, some for the very first time. On display will be pictures, pamphlets and memorabilia from six royal coronations –most have never been on display at the Museum before.
This exhibit will explore royal moments in the city of Cambridge and the county of Cambridgeshire alongside objects that have come to define local communities’ connection with the royal family. Visitors will have the chance to see how Cambridge has celebrated, marked, mourned, and changed since Queen Victoria was crowned in 1838.
“Mugs, Medals and a Meal for 15,000” encourages visitors to reflect on how Cambridgeshire has celebrated coronations and royal events, from hot air balloon rides to feasts and commemorative mugs and medals.
“Mugs, Medals and a Meal for 15,000” will be on display until mid-July, when it will be followed by “Agatha Christie: An exhibition about her life and characters” from July 17 to August 28 2023.

Hidden Cambridge Tour May
2023-05-07 10:30 - 12:00 | Cambridgeshire

Stone, Paper, Ceramics
2023-05-18 - 2023-05-22 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Stone, Paper, Ceramics
Japanese artists and craftsmen in Cambridge
A five-day exhibition of beautiful Japanese artistry from four talented local artists. The artists have come together using Stone, Paper and Ceramics to showcase their skills.
We are a group of Japanese people who work and create, all based in Cambridge. Although what we do varies, we are very excited to be able to exhibit together and have the opportunity to meet new people.
Pop in and feel a hint of Japan within our creations. Visit for free in the Enid Porter room at the Museum of Cambridge between the 18th and 22nd of May, 2023.
Opening Times:
Thursday 18th May 12 pm-5 pm
Friday-Sunday 10 am – 5 pm
Monday 10am-3pm

Emi Gordon
Cutting fine lettering on stones has been my main craft for some time. Designing, drawing and cutting the appropriate letterforms for a particular context also play an important part in my work. I am trying to make a stone piece which evokes viewers thoughts, emotions and images. I also take commissions for house signs, house numbers and memorials. www.emigordon.com

Kasumi Murai
I enjoy working with stoneware clay and making pottery for everyday use. My work is inspired by Japanese functional domestic ware and British lifestyle. I am a member of Anglian Potters (www.anglianpotters.org.uk) and regularly exhibit my work at annual exhibitions in Cambridge.
www.instagram.com/kasumi4800/

Keiko Shimoda
Born in Japan, I studied Japanese calligraphy since I was little, and later learnt Western calligraphy. A freelance letterer since 2009 in UK. Meanings, feelings, purposes, materials, and moments. Japanese culture is in my background but also admiring the culture in here, respecting all the traditional skills and craftsmanship. www.kcalligraphy.com

Kozue Schwartz
I was born and raised in Japan, and grew up with Japanese 80’s pop culture. After I studied graphic design and illustration in the US, I taught myself how to carve rubber stamps and started a small business.
I have made hundreds of custom portrait stamps. I like simple yet cute things, and am attracted to organic lines which influence my artwork.
Currently, I’m living in the UK, focusing more on prints and illustrations.
www.instagram.com/kozuemschwartz/

Black History Lectures: Sir Morien The Black Knight at King Arthur's Table
2023-05-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join the Museum of Cambridge for a fascinating evening with Carol Brown-Leonardi.
Carol, a researcher in the British Windrush generation and Caribbean Folklore, will share her research on topics of Black British History at the Museum of Cambridge. In a series of in-person lectures on the last Friday of the month, Carol will explore Black History from the Romans to the Tudors. Her first lecture will discuss Sir Morien, a Black knight at King Arthur’s round table. Carol summaries her talk below:
“We are all familiar with the legend of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone. The story tells the tale of the young boy validated as the true King of England for pulling the sword from the stone, unlike the stronger and older men who fail again and again. The legend of King Arthur and his knights at the round table was written in detail by the Anglo-Norman cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth between 1100 – 1154. This literature captured Europe’s interest and imagination, leading to a series of poems and works written by the French writer Christen de Troyes between 1155 – 1185.
In her article ‘not all knights at the round table were white’, Eveleth (2014) discusses how knights of colour have been excluded from the more recent productions of King Arthur’s tales. In the tale of King Arthur, the 14-year-old Dutch Knight Sir Morien, one of six knights of colour, occupies a seat at King Arthur’s round table. The talk will shine a light on this story. His quest to find his father, who deserted him and his mother, a Moor Princess, when he was two years old. During Sir Morien’s search he forms a friendship with Sir Lancelot with whom he has many adventures. The story is completed with him finding his father and regaining his inheritance as ruler in his land. The tale captures the essence of the Crusades in the comradery and friendship between Sir Morien and Sir Lancelot.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated and supported by the Medieval Latin Church from 1096 to 1453. The most familiar crusade campaign is the war over the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291, which successfully recovered Jerusalem and the surrounding area from Islamic rule. The presentation will explore the African presence in Medieval Europe and the Sub-Saharan African presence in Medieval England. It will examine historical accounts of the black African Christian Kingdoms that thrived in northeast Africa during the Middle Ages. We will explore the existence of Sub-Saharan Africans living in medieval England. Illustrating the African presence in medieval Britain is the excavation by Professor Sue Black and her team (1993 – 2006), who discovered a skeleton during an archaeological dig in the Greyfriars monastery cemetery in Ipswich, Suffolk.
Nine skeletons of Sub-Saharan African origin were found at the grave site. It is believed that these Africans may have been involved in the Crusade wars. This African Crusader is known as the ‘Ipswich Man’ at around 1225-1285. It is believed that he was brought back by returning crusaders at around 1270.”
Join Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi and the Museum of Cambridge for a Friday evening exploration of Black History in the medieval world. Refreshments will be provided. Tickets are available at the door for £5.
Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi
Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi works at the Open University. Since 2000 Dr Brown-Leonardi has carried out long-term fieldwork and research projects on political discourse and non-renewable resources in the Mackenzie Valley, Canada and research on reindeer racing and training race reindeer in Northern Finland. Her current research investigates how Britain’s exit from the European Union has affected the perceptions and decision-making of mixed-nationality couples (British and Finnish) to stay and live permanently in Finland or the United Kingdom. Carol’s most recent work focuses on the Windrush deportee’s experience following the hostile environment policy to understand the levels of inclusion and exclusion experienced in both British and Caribbean society. Carol is interested in local history and contributed to the research for the Equiano Bridge Project.
Tickets
Tickets are available for £5 at the door or via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-history-lectures-sir-morien-the-black-knight-at-king-arthurs-table-tickets-637501101957
Accessibility
You can also read about our accessibility information on our website. If you’d like to chat through any accessibility requirements, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01223 355159 or email alex.smaridge@museumofcambridge.org.uk. Event attendees with additional needs are welcome to bring a supporter or carer who will be admitted to the event free of charge.
Getting Here
We are in the centre of Cambridge. You’ll find us at the corner of Castle Street and Northampton Street. We are right beside Kettle’s Yard and only a 15-minute walk from King’s College.
You can park your bike at the bike parks on Bridge Street or on Northampton Street. There is a bus stop on Bridge Street. Check out the Stagecoach website to plan your journey to and from the Museum. Find out more about how to get here by train, bike, bus, car or on foot on our website.
Photography
Please note that photographs will be taken throughout this event, and images may be used in future marketing and reporting materials. If you do not wish for your photograph to be taken, please make sure to let us know.
Healthy Events
If you’re feeling unwell or have recently tested positive for Covid-19, please do not attend this event. We’ll be happy to offer you a refund if applicable, and welcome you at the Museum on another day.
Love events? Love them even more when they’re free? Join the Friends of the Museum of Cambridge today and you’ll get access to free events, discounts in our shop and year-round free entry for you and a guest.

May Half Term
2023-05-29 10:00 - 2023-06-04 17:00 | The Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
New Half term trails!
Discover the different stories in our collection
Suitable for ages 3+
Drop in to the Museum to discover our new trails.
Admission Fee applies, Children are free!
