Toads, Lice, and Urine: Witchcraft and Folk Magic in East Anglia with Ruth McPhee
2022-10-28 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | The Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join us as we talk with podcaster Ruth McPhee about Witchcraft and Folk Magic in East Anglia.
Ruth McPhee is the host of Ruth is Stranger than Fiction, a podcast all about the strange histories and unlikely characters of East Anglia. Past episodes have covered folkloric figures including will o’ the wisps, giants, and toadmen, gruesome events such as witch trials, bodysnatching, and tragic murders, and plenty of hauntings and ghostly goings on around Cambridge and other towns of the area.
An exploration of historical beliefs around witchcraft and magic in the fens and fields of Cambridgeshire and beyond, with Ruth McPhee from the Ruth is Stranger than Fiction podcast. From malevolent curses, spells and toadmen through to the counter-witchcraft and protective magic of bodily fluids, witch bottles and hag stones, join us for an evening of peculiar tales and magical intrigue.
Find out more about the podcast and how to subscribe at www.ruthisstranger.co.uk

Tickets on sale from October 1st.
Book Here!

Halloween Hijinks!
2022-10-29 10:00 - 15:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Come along to our Halloween Hijinks!
Dress up for our fancy dress parade!
Listen to Spooky storytelling with Chip (from 2-3pm, please click on the link below to register for your free ticket!),
make pumpkins, bats and ghosts in our arts and crafts session!
Enjoy our children’s Halloween trails around the Museum.
All ages welcome!
Just pop in to The Museum of Cambridge anytime between 10am – 3pm on the 29th October!
Don’t forget to leave us your email to keep up to date with all our events!

Little Feet, Big Impressions
2022-11-03 10:00 - 11:30 | Cambridgeshire
Free, fun and interactive sessions for your 1-5 year old.
This session will be all about childhood! Games and interactive toys a plenty
Sessions will welcome the making of connections and community. A chance to meet chat, make friends and entertain your small people.
Refreshments will be provided. Changing facilities available.
Parents, childminders and carers welcome!
Smaller siblings also welcome to attend.
Book free tickets now (Link to website below) for yourself and your children!

Annual Appeal: 'From Papua to Pampisford' -the origins of the 'Folk Museum' with Becky Proctor
2022-11-03 18:30 - 20:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join us for a talk from the wonderful Becky Proctor in support of our 2022 Annual Appeal. This is a special event just for Friends of the Museum of Cambridge. You can sign up to become a Friend here.
“From Papua to Pampisford” – the origins of the Folk Museum in 1930s Cambridge.
When renowned archaeologist Sir Cyril Fox officially opened the Cambridge & County Folk Museum in November 1936 he noted in his opening address, “I am inclined to think that in the University of Cambridge there is more exact knowledge of the social anthropology of, let us say, Papua, than of Pampisford.” Save for its archaeology, Pampisford, like other Cambridgeshire towns and villages, would have rarely featured in the collections or research interests of any one of the University museums at that time. This talk describes how a dynamic group of local people established the Folk Museum to preserve and display objects to reflect the lives and traditions of local people for future generations.
About Becky Proctor
Born and brought up in Cambridge, I spent more than 16 happy years at the Folk Museum as Assistant Curator, during which time we completed the huge redevelopment project, which opened to the public in 2005. I’ve worked at Royal Papworth Hospital as Heritage Officer since 2009, in combination with some varied roles delivering community and oral history projects. Museum work is always varied, from posing mannequins at Burwell Museum to training retired firefighters in cataloguing skills at Kent Fire Museum. In 2020 I had the pleasure to edit the book ‘Brush with the Past’ by Allan Brigham, and I continue to write and deliver history talks to local groups.
All of your donations towards this event will support our latest Annual Appeal – more details can be found here, on our website. Thank you in advance for your kind generosity!
If you have any accessibility requirements for this event, please don’t hesitate to email us at enquiries@museumofcambridge.org.uk. or call 01223 355159 and ask for Annie.
There will be photography at this event – if you’d like to opt out of photography, just add a note to your booking and let us know on the night.
Booking is via Eventbrite.
Annual Appeal: Saving Our Stories
Behind every single object in our Museum are a whole host of fascinating stories; the story of the person who made it, the person who used it – or even the person who found it in a basement and gave it to the Museum.
Collections care and conservation is a complex and costly business, requiring specialist equipment, training, extensive staff and volunteer time, and substantial storage space – not to mention extremely high utility bills.
So today, we’re asking you for your help. Please help us keep our collections safe so that the unique stories each object tells can be handed down to future generations.
You can find out more about our appeal on the Support Us tab.

Hidden Cambridge Tour November
2022-11-06 10:30 - 12:00 | Cambridgeshire
Take another look at Cambridge with a 90 minute Hidden Cambridge Walking Tour.
Enjoy a tour of the lesser-know 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.
Your tour will be led by a qualified guide, and the ticket price includes a free entry to the Museum of Cambridge within a month of the tour. All proceeds of the tours are donated to support 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

Little Feet, Big Impressions
2022-11-17 10:00 - 11:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom

Holiday Market at the Museum of Cambridge
2022-11-26 10:00 - 17:00 | Cambridgeshire
Christmas is a truly wonderful time of year. The Museum of Cambridge is very happy to be hosting a finely curated selection of local craftspeople and artisans who will be sharing their wares in an attempt to help you with gifts for loved ones, stocking fillers or all-important treats for yourself.
We are proud to be welcoming some beautiful crafts people to the Enid Porter Room including some of our very own talented volunteers.
Details and links to suppliers (more to be added over the coming days):

Naomi Davies Art:
Website: Naomi Davies Art – Cambridge based artist working in pen and watercolour
Instagram: @naomidaviesart

MHulot:
website: www.mhulot.co.uk
Instagram: @mhulotaccessories

Qhere:
website: www.Qhere.net
Instagram: @qhere_bags

Curiously Clementine:
website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CuriouslyClementine
Instagram: @curiously.clementine

Pocket of Art:
website: www.pocket-of-art.com
Facebook: @pocketofart
Instagram @pocket-of-art

Location: The Enid Porter Room, the Museum of Cambridge 2-3 Castle Street, CB3 0AQ.

Holiday Market at the Museum of Cambridge
2022-11-27 11:00 - 16:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Christmas is a truly wonderful time of year. The Museum of Cambridge is very happy to be hosting a finely curated selection of local craftspeople and artisans who will be sharing their wares in an attempt to help you with gifts for loved ones, stocking fillers or all-important treats for yourself.
We are proud to be welcoming some beautiful crafts people to the Enid Porter Room including some of our very own talented volunteers.
Details and links to suppliers (more to be added over the coming days):

MHulot:
website: www.mhulot.co.uk
Instagram: @mhulotaccessories

Qhere:
website: www.Qhere.net
Instagram: @qhere_bags

Curiously Clementine:
website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CuriouslyClementine
Instagram: @curiously.clementine

Pocket of Art:
website: www.pocket-of-art.com
Facebook: @pocketofart
Instagram @pocket-of-art

Location: The Enid Porter Room, the Museum of Cambridge 2-3 Castle Street, CB3 0AQ.

Annual Appeal: 'A Fenland History Saver Shares All'
2022-11-29 18:30 - 20:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join us for an evening with renowned historian and researcher Mike Petty
‘A Fenland History Saver Shares All’
Cutbacks and Covid-19 have greatly impacted access to the resources available to local historians for researching Cambridgeshire’s heritage.
Mike Petty became interested in the history of his home village of Stretham more than 70 years ago.
While Librarian of the Cambridgeshire Collection he transformed a uncatalogued resource amassed since 1855 into a specialist library used by 1,000 people a month.
Since ‘retirement ‘ 25 years ago Mike has continued to share resources through posts to 10,000 followers of his Fenland History on Facebook group and providing access through Internet Archive to Cambridgeshire books, newspapers, illustrations, maps and audio files that have been consulted by 150,000 researchers across Cambridgeshire and around the world, including over 70,000 users during the period of Covid lockdown.
This evening he will reflect on Mike’s work over the years with plenty of time for audience questions!
About Mike Petty
In 1964 Mike Petty discovered tucked away in a back room of Cambridge Library a collection of books, newspapers, maps, illustrations and ephemera on Cambridgeshire. It had been carefully collected for 110 years – but nobody had had the chance to sort it.
Over the next 30 years Mike transformed it into the Cambridgeshire Collection, taking it into a separate suite in the new Central Library in Lion Yard. Over that time he became the most widely acknowledged authority on Cambridge and the fenland building up unique knowledge of resources which he continues to share through regular lectures to groups and societies.
His wide experience in assisting thousands of enquirers for over 50 years and unrivalled knowledge of published material – books, newspapers, illustrations, maps etc – combine to provide a unique service for those investigating any aspect of the area, past or present. More details are contained on his website – www.mikepetty.org.uk
All of your donations towards this event will support our latest Annual Appeal – more details can be found here, on our website. Thank you in advance for your kind generosity!
If you have any accessibility requirements for this event, please don’t hesitate to email us at enquiries@museumofcambridge.org.uk. or call 01223 355159 and ask for Annie.
There will be photography at this event – if you’d like to opt out of photography, just add a note to your booking and let us know on the night.
Annual Appeal: Saving Our Stories
Behind every single object in our Museum are a whole host of fascinating stories; the story of the person who made it, the person who used it – or even the person who found it in a basement and gave it to the Museum.
Collections care and conservation is a complex and costly business, requiring specialist equipment, training, extensive staff and volunteer time, and substantial storage space – not to mention extremely high utility bills.
So today, we’re asking you for your help. Please help us keep our collections safe so that the unique stories each object tells can be handed down to future generations.
You can find out more about our appeal on our website: www.museumofcambridge.org.uk.

Little Feet, Big Impressions - Holiday Happiness
2022-12-01 10:00 - 11:30, 2022-12-15 10:00 - 11:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom

Festive Wreath Making with What the Fleur
2022-12-01 18:30 - 21:30, 2022-12-06 18:30 - 21:30 | Cambridgeshire
The Museum of Cambridge is very happy to be hosting the wonderful Julia, owner of What the Fleur florist on Bridge Street in Cambridge City centre. In this workshop you’ll learn how to make a traditional moss-based wreath, all from scratch, using gorgeous seasonal foliage with an abundance of beautiful festive materials. Decorate with dried fruit, cinnamon sticks, feathers, pinecones, ribbons and a little sparkle!
Julia brings a beautiful and energetic style to all her arrangements and will help you share your own personality in your wreath. Relax and enjoy while also in the atmospheric setting of the Museum of Cambridge.
All materials are provided. Full step by step guidance will be given so all abilities welcome.
Pop along for a glass of mulled wine, mince pies and take part in an activity filled with festive floral fun!
Dates and Times:
Thursday 1st December 6:30-9:30 pm
Sunday 4th December 2-5pm
Tuesday 6th December 6:30-9:30pm
Location: The Enid Porter Room, the Museum of Cambridge 2-3 Castle Street, CB3 0AQ.
Tickets are £68 per person, and include mulled wine, festive nibbles and all the materials, foliage and decorations needed to create your wreath.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite:
Christmas Door Wreath Workshop with What the Fleur Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite

Hidden Cambridge Tour December
2022-12-04 10:30 - 12:00 | Cambridgeshire

Christmas Wreath Making with What the Fleur
2022-12-04 14:00 - 17:00 | The Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom

Festive Folktales and more!
2022-12-10 10:00 - 12:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Come one, come all to our Festive Folktales and more!

Enjoy some seasonal arts and crafts before being swept away into Chips storytelling with Festive Folktales!
First (for 1 hour) – We have card making, a Decoration Creation Station and Christmas collaging in our Arts and Crafts session
There is then a half hour break – this is a great chance to have a look around the Museum of Cambridge, we have Children’s trails suitable for all ages and Children’s’ tickets are FREE! (available on site).
Second (for 1 hour) – Chip from EpicTales enchants with his folktale storytelling!
Family friendly and suitable for all ages.
To get your free tickets click the link below!

Festive Folktales and more!
2022-12-10 13:30 - 16:00 | Cambridgeshire

Christmas Table Decoration Workshop- Cancelled
2022-12-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Cambridgeshire
We have decided to cancel this event, keep checking our events calendar for events in 2023.

Based on the popularity of Julia’s Wreath Making workshops earlier in December, join us at the Museum of Cambridge to create a handmade Christmas table decoration with season festive foliage from What the Fleur.
Learn how to make a Christmas table decoration from scratch, using gorgeous seasonal foliage, long lasting flowers and beautiful festive materials to decorate with. Arrangements are provided with a candle to bring that festive glow! This class is close to Christmas day so arrangements can be used as the centrepiece for your Christmas dinner table or gift your creation as a very special handmade Christmas present.
All materials are provided. Full step by step guidance will be given so all abilities welcome!
Tickets are £65 a person and include all the materials needed to create your decoration and festive drinks and nibbles.
Join us Tuesday 20th of December, 6:30-9pm just in time to bring home your decoration for Christmas.
Book your ticket on Eventbrite: Christmas table decoration workshop with What the Fleur Tickets, Tue, Dec 20, 2022 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite

Festive Folktales and more!
2022-12-17 10:00 - 12:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Come one, come all to our Festive folktales and more!
Enjoy seasonal arts and crafts before being swept away in to Chips storytelling with Festive Folktales!
First (for 1 hour) – We have card making, decoration creation station and Christmas collaging in our Arts and crafts session
There is then a half hour break – this is a great chance to have a look around the Museum of Cambridge, we have Children’s trails suitable for all ages and Children’s’ tickets are FREE! (available on site).
Second (for 1 hour) – Chip from EpicTales enchants with his folktale storytelling!
Family friendly and suitable for all ages.
To get your tickets click the link below!

Festive Folktales and more!
2022-12-17 13:30 - 16:00 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Come one, come all to our Festive folktales and more!
Enjoy seasonal arts and crafts before being swept away into Chips storytelling with Festive Folktales!
First (for 1 hour) – We have card making, decoration creation station and Christmas collaging in our Arts and crafts session
There is then a half hour break – this is a great chance to have a look around the Museum of Cambridge, we have Children’s trails suitable for all ages and Children’s’ tickets are FREE! (available on site).
Second (for 1 hour) – Chip from EpicTales enchants with his folktale storytelling!
Family friendly and suitable for all ages
To get your tickets click the link below!

Little Feet, Big Impressions
2023-01-06 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-01-19 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-02-02 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.

My Mini Museum - Pop Up At Cambridge Central Library
2023-01-21 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-01-28 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-02-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Cambridge Central Library, 7 Lion Yard, Cambridge, CB2 3QD
Join us at Cambridge Central Library to learn more about My Mini Museum and pick up a pack to take home.
We’re calling the residents of Cambridgeshire to celebrate the place they call home – in miniature!
We’re keen to find out what people love about Cambridgeshire’s past, present and future. A new project, Connecting Cambridgeshire: My Mini Museum, gives Cambridgeshire residents of all ages the chance to express what living in the county means to them.
Participants will have the chance to make mini exhibits of their own to showcase the objects, stories and places which best show what makes Cambridgeshire such a special place.
There’s lots of different ways to get involved – find out more on our dedicated My Mini Museum page.
Pop Up At Cambridge Central Library
Join us at our stall at Cambridge Central Library to find out everything you need to know about making your own mini museum. You’ll have the chance to chat to museum staff and volunteers, and pick up your very own FREE pack to take home.
There’s no need to book – just come along!
The library is located in Lion Yard, which is just a couple of minutes on foot from the main bus stops in the centre of Cambridge. The site is accessible to wheelchair users via a lift. You can find out more about the library here.
If you have any questions or would like to chat through any accessibility requirements, please don’t hesitate to email us at enquiries@museumofcambridge.org.uk. or call 01223 355159 and ask for Annie.
There will be photography at this event – if you’d like to opt out of photography, just let us know.
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!

My Mini Museum - Pop Up At Cambridge Market
2023-01-22 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-01-29 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-02-05 10:00 - 16:00 | Market Square, Cambridge, Market Hill, Cambridge, CB1 0SS
Join us at Cambridge market to learn more about My Mini Museum and pick up a pack to take home.
We’re calling the residents of Cambridgeshire to celebrate the place they call home – in miniature!
We’re keen to find out what people love about Cambridgeshire’s past, present and future. A new project, Connecting Cambridgeshire: My Mini Museum, gives Cambridgeshire residents of all ages the chance to express what living in the county means to them.
Participants will have the chance to make mini exhibits of their own to showcase the objects, stories and places which best show what makes Cambridgeshire such a special place.
There’s lots of different ways to get involved – find out more on our dedicated My Mini Museum page.
Pop Up At Cambridge Market
Join us at our stall at Cambridge Market Square to find out everything you need to know about making your own mini museum. You’ll have the chance to chat to museum staff and volunteers, and pick up your very own FREE pack to take home.
There’s no need to book – just come along!
If you have any questions or would like to chat through any accessibility requirements, please don’t hesitate to email us at enquiries@museumofcambridge.org.uk. or call 01223 355159 and ask for Annie.
There will be photography at this event – if you’d like to opt out of photography, just let us know.
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!

The Bootlegging Waiter: A Story of Celebrity, Class, and Creativity in the 1930s with Dr. David Cowan
2023-01-25 18:30 - 20:30 | Enid Porter Room, Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0AQ, United Kingdom
Join us for an evening with the Cambridge historian Dr. David Cowan.
‘The Bootlegging Waiter: A Story of Celebrity, Class, and Creativity in the 1930s’
Arthur Henry Timmins, a waiter born in Southampton in 1907, burst into the pages of British newspapers in the late 1930s as the author of an autobiography and, soon after, a novel. A literary celebrity in the era before television, his works drew on his experiences serving customers in British hotels, cruise ship restaurants across the Atlantic, and illicit bars in Prohibition-era America. Dealing with still-resonant questions around tips and labour, Timmins’s writings drew attention to the exploitative conditions of service staff in the wake of the Great Depression. But it was a chance encounter in a restaurant with a customer that gave Timmins the confidence – and the opportunity – to break into London’s literary world.
About Dr. David Cowan
Dr. David Cowan teaches modern British history at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He is a prize-winning historian of twentieth-century Britain. David’s recent article, ‘Nostalgia, Community, and Late Twentieth Century Television’ is available online and is free to access.
All of your donations towards this event will support the Museum. Thank you in advance for your kind generosity!
If you have any accessibility requirements for this event, please don’t hesitate to email us at enquiries@museumofcambridge.org.uk. or call 01223 355159 and ask for Annie.
There will be photography at this event – if you’d like to opt out of photography, just add a note to your booking and let us know on the night.
Booking is via Eventbrite. Or, just give us a call on 01223 355159 and we can pop the booking through for you over the phone.
You can join us in person at the Museum, or sign up for a digital stream via Zoom (all you’ll need is a phone or laptop, the Zoom app, and an internet connection).
All tickets are available on a ‘Donate As You Feel’ basis – please give generously as every penny of the proceeds goes towards supporting the Museum and its collections.
