Welcome to the Whipple Museum

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science is a lovely museum in Cambridge, which is accessible in a wheelchair (I have volunteered here many times in my wheelchair)

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The accessible entrance is slightly tricky to find initially, but there is a map at the entrance to the museums site, a couple of signs and people are generally happy to help direct you to the entrance.

At the entrance you push the buzzer to be let in, and the staff will open both parts of the door if your wheelchair requires it. There is currently one toilet, which is accessible by wheelchair, located on the ground floor. To access the rest of the museum, there is a lift. It takes a little maneuvering to get in and out when there are other people around, but this is generally smooth. As you enter the galleries, there are double doors. If your wheelchair is narrow, then you will be able to get through the single door, but if your wheelchair is wider, then you may need to ask some kind visitors or members of staff to hold the double doors open. Once within the galleries, there are a range of interesting scientific objects to explore, ranging from the founder's original collection, to Darwin's microscope, Hershel's telescope to a large range of calculators (often popular with people recognising ones they used at school and work). My personal favourite is the orrery, At present, there are displays of women's contributions to the history of science, highlighting how their work was often ignored or hidden.

If you venture upstairs in the lift, you find the Victorian Parlour and Globes Gallery, where you can see the development of understanding of astronomy through time, such as through the range of globes of Mars. The zoetrope is always popular!