The Old Cavendish Laboratory aims to become:
• A leading attraction in Cambridge over the coming decades
• A widely popular focus of University of Cambridge science, heritage and learning
The Old Cavendish Laboratory will:
• Open to the public for the first time as an historic location of world importance to science
• Share the history of science at the University of Cambridge to a local, national and international audience
• Animate the visitor experience with high level creative, performance and digital experiences
• Provide a focus for visitors to Cambridge to understand the wider academic heritage of the University
• Through digital opportunities spread the learning nationally and worldwide
• Encourage interest in science learning by young people and those who do not usually engage with science or the University of Cambridge
Potential Audiences from 2026:
• Invite over 2000 local young people annually to engage with and be inspired by physics
• Annual Visitor numbers based on 20 weeks of experience per year – 6000 in person visitors to the site (and 16,000 if open year-round)
• Digital reach for science and education annually – reach of 20,000 annually online with potential for hundreds of thousands annually through museum partnerships and tours of digital interactive displays
Top image: ‘Electricity’
Lower Image: J.J. Thomson. Cavendish Laboratory