About Cambridge & County Folk Museum

Our Collections

Cambridge & County Folk Museum has been open to the public since 1936.  It is the only local social history museum in Cambridge and is the most comprehensive collection representing life in the South Cambridgeshire villages.

In 70 years, the Folk Museum has acquired a rich and varied collection of 20,000 objects, pictures and documents, providing a fascinating insight into the history of Cambridge for local people and tourists alike.

History of the Museum

The Museum is housed in the former White Horse Inn, a timber-framed building, the earliest parts of which date back to the late 16th century. It is located in the most ancient part of Cambridge, just a few minutes walk from the centre of the City.

For 300 years people of every walk of life sought refreshment and rest at the White Horse Inn, giving the museum a unique, friendly atmosphere. The busy and varied displays introduce you to some of the colourful individuals from fen, college and market.

The museum was founded in 1936 to preserve evidence of ways of life which were fast disappearing, for the education and enjoyment of later generations. The museum owes its birth and survival to local people and especially three remarkable women.

Catherine Parsons, a local collector of 'bygones, mainly from the cottages of Cambridge', inspired a handful of Cambridge burghers, all members of Cambridge Rotary, to set up the museum. A local doctor and antiquarian, William M Palmer, also devoted much of his energies to it. His friend, Sir Cyril Fox, who had begun his career in Cambridge as an archaeologist and then become Director of the National Museum of Wales, officially opened the museum in 1936.

Florence Ada Keynes, mother of John Maynard Keynes, and one of the very first women undergraduates at Newnham College, served on the Council of Management from the beginning until her death, aged 96, in 1958.

From 1948 to 1976 Enid Porter worked as Curator, and was as energetic as a student and writer on folklore as she was in all the practical tasks of running the museum. Her book, Cambridgeshire Customs and Folklore, remains the standard work on the subject.

The Museum Today

The museum is visited and used by at least 14,000 people each year. Our visitors come from the local area, the British Isles and abroad. Many people contact the museum to make enquiries about the collection and local history. The museum provides outreach services in the form of temporary exhibitions, loans boxes and talks to local groups. The educational activities reflect the museum's commitment to lifelong learning, and have included children's activities, workshops for schools and adult education courses.   If you have a curatorial or local history enquiry, or would like to donate an item to the museum, please contact the Assistant Curator.

The museum obtained a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the redevelopment of the museum. The museum re-opened on 30th April 2005. There are brand new displays to see. The museum also has new education and public facilities, a lift to all floors and other assistance for disabled people.

The museum is now fully re-opened.

The museum staffs are helped by a large team of volunteers. Volunteers undertake many essential tasks at the museum, from book-keeping and gardening to documentation projects and reception duties.  Contact us if you would like to help!

There is an enthusiastic and committed Friends group. Subscription gives you free admission to the museum, regular newsletters, and a packed programme of events. Join the Friends if you would like to support the work that the museum does.

If you require any further information about the museum, please contact us.

Curator - Polly Hodgson
Assistant Curator - Becky Proctor
Education Officer - Tamsin Wimhurst
Exhibition & Events Officer - Beverley Hoff
Museum Assistant - Susan Miller
Museum Assistant – Nick Howard

An independent charitable Trust, the museum now has representatives of the three local authorities, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, and of the University and the Friends Association.