To spot the Fitzwilliam Museum, just look ahead for an imposing and elegant white stone building with a grand row of Corinthian columns and detailed sculpted figures lining the triangle of its roof-like a Greek temple dropped right into Cambridge.
Welcome to the Fitzwilliam Museum, where the beauty of ancient Greece meets the heart of academic Cambridge. If you close your eyes for a moment, you might even hear the echo of imagined footsteps of scholars and visitors approaching the hulking entrance, their voices a blend of excitement and awe. This remarkable museum began as a gift born from a mix of love for art and, let’s be honest, a little noble pride! In 1816, Richard FitzWilliam, the 7th Viscount FitzWilliam-a man with a keen eye for treasures and an even keener sense of legacy-left not just his library and art collection to the University of Cambridge, but a jaw-dropping £100,000 to make sure everything was kept in style. The only condition? Build a truly splendid home for it all.
So, in the time of Queen Victoria, workmen hammered and sculpted to create the stunning Founder's Building in front of you now, designed by architect George Basevi. When the main hall opened its doors in 1848, Cambridge didn’t just get another building-it inherited a palace for the curious and the creative. Marvel at the columns and the majestic lions carved by William Nicholl, as if they too are protectors of this amusing kingdom of art and history.
Step just inside (or imagine peering in), and you’d find yourself surrounded by over half a million wonders! This is not your average dusty old museum-it’s a sprawling adventure, where rare manuscripts and coins, intricate fans, suits of armor, ancient Egyptian relics and world-famous paintings rub shoulders. Fancy getting up close with a Van Gogh, a Monet, or perhaps a Picasso? No problem! Over the years, the Fitzwilliam’s collection grew like a magical snowball, thanks to generous donors, gallant alumni, and the odd economist (yes, Maynard Keynes himself bought a Cézanne for the museum). There’s even a colossal statue from ancient Greece, and a mesmerizing winged bas-relief from Nimrud.
You may not know this, but the Fitzwilliam also houses the largest collection of Elizabethan virginal music manuscripts in existence-“virginals” were a kind of keyboard instrument, not a cheerleading squad from Shakespeare’s day! Listen closely and you might catch a haunting refrain by William Byrd or Thomas Tallis drifting through the galleries.
There’s always been a bit of drama here, too. In 2006, one poor visitor tripped and crashed into three Qing Dynasty vases-shattering them into, oh, thousands of pieces! Miraculously, the museum’s experts glued every last shard back together. And in 2012, daring thieves snatched £57 million of Chinese jade-although this rubber-gloved gang was eventually caught, some treasures never found their way home.
The Fitzwilliam continues to grow, guided by the energy and enthusiasm of its Friends society and the many directors and keepers who’ve steered it through changing times-one even lasted nearly thirty years! Today, thanks to bequests and partnerships, you can explore Egyptian tombs, wander through rooms filled with Italian Renaissance, Dutch Golden Age, and Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces, or puzzle over mysterious Michelangelo bronzes (yes, two statues of slightly inebriated men riding panthers!).
As you stand here, imagine the clatter of carriages on Trumpington Street, distinguished guests in top hats, and the laughter of students as they visit exhibition after exhibition. The Fitzwilliam Museum isn’t just about what hangs on its walls or sits in its cases-it’s about the stories each object whispers to the world, bringing together the wonders of many centuries under one magnificent roof. And don’t forget, admission is always free, which means you can pop in whenever the allure of the world’s treasures is just too hard to resist…
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