Year in Review | 2024 at CMT

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Year in Review | 2024 at CMT

Heritage Fund | New Staff | Food Festivals | Steam Days | Volunteer Records | Education

2024 proved to be a groundbreaking year for Cambridge Museum of Technology. From announcing our Heritage Fund project ‘Full Steam Ahead’ earlier in the year to ending the year with the annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, we really did have it all!

A massive THANK YOU to all our visitors (our greatest year on record!), our volunteers, our staff and trustees, our on-site hospitality partners, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and all of our supporters. As an independent museum, support like this is essential, and we really could not do this without you all.

Along with our usual visitor hours, the museum played host to over 50 events throughout the year including:

As a Museum, we also celebrated some personal achievements!

In March, we announced that we had received a grant of £99,932 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting heritage project, Full Steam Ahead. This grant allowed us to start work on our Engineer’s House so we can use it for community events in the future, as well as create three new roles at the museum and welcome two new staff members!

Joanne Hamilton, previously our Front of House Team Leader, stepped into the role of Communities and Visitor Engagement Officer. With this role, we will put community at the heart of our museum, and help make our exhibitions as welcoming and accessible as possible. Lindsey Bavin joined the team as our Museum Enterprise Manager, helping to adapt our events and hiring system, and lead on our Heritage Fund project. As our new education officer, Hannah Battersby has been charging along with developing our education offer, helping to get pupils in the museum and learning about all things technology! Our team is completed by Catherine Rooney, who as administrator, has helped keep the museum on its feet while we waited for new staff members, and now ensures everything is running smoothly!

The Museum received a record number of visitors through its doors, increasing on its previous 2023 record. As well as developing our exhibitions, we moved our shop this year to ensure the best visitor experience possible! This has really upped our shop sales, including the work done by our wonderful, generous craft group which brought in over £800 this year (well done team!).

Our volunteers recorded 6693 hours this year (with 4 volunteers recording over 500 each!). We also welcomed 14 new regular volunteers to the team, and five new trustees to the team – Amy, Kieran, Matthew, Bhagwat and our new chairperson, Vincent! 

The Future

As we head into 2025, the question of what is in store is on everyone’s minds. For us here at CMT, 2025 is hoping to be one filled with:

We strive to create memorable experiences for all our visitors, and we're already looking forward to welcoming you back next year. 2025 is bound to be an exciting one for the museum — stay tuned for updates on our upcoming events and special offers by checking our website or following us on social media. We can't wait to see you all again soon!

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CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution

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CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution

Photo credit: c. Paul Wilkinson Photography

Cambridge Museum of Technology is delighted to have partnered once again with the Royal Institution to bring the world famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES to Cambridge, via a livestream from the filming, in the heart of London. This year, Dr Chris van Tulleken shared ‘the truth about food’.

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We're Hiring! Collections Officer

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We're Hiring! Collections Officer

Cambridge Museum of Technology: Collections Officer 

Cambridge Museum of Technology: Collections Officer

1 year fixed term 

2 days per week 

£28k per annum, (£11.2k pro rata) 

Overall Purpose of Job: 

Working with volunteers and other members of staff, this role is integral to ensuring that the collections are well managed and can be used in the temporary exhibition and learning programmes. 

The Collections Officer will manage and care for the collections according to sector standards, train volunteers, and enable use of the collections in exhibitions and learning. 

The role holder will also complete a previously started disposals project. During the museum’s redevelopment (2017 -2020), a collections review was undertaken and a disposals list drawn up. The role holder will continue the project, rehoming deaccessioned objects. 

Within the small staff team, this post will also have key holding and Duty Manager responsibility on a rota basis. 

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Document the collections, including accessioning and cataloguing objects on Modes, in accordance with the museum’s policies and Spectrum standards; 

  • Care for the collections, including pest management, conservation cleaning, repacking collections, and working with volunteers to maintain large, working objects; 

  • Enable access to the collections and support the exhibitions and learning programmes through advising on appropriate use, getting objects out for events, and preparing collections for display; 

  • Rationalise collections in line with the Museum Association’s disposal guidelines and Code of Ethics, completing a previously started disposals project 

  • Train and supervise volunteers in collections roles, on tasks such as accessioning, checking pest traps, and conservation cleaning; 

  • Update policies and procedures, ensuring that all work meets sector and Accreditation standards; 

  • Apply for small grants if they arise; 

  • Work with the Board of Trustees, Management Committee, and Collections Committee to ensure that all activities are communicated and considered within the wider museum operation; 

  • Provide Duty Manager and key holding responsibility on a rota basis with other staff members. 

Person Specification 

Essential 

  • Experience working with museum collections 

  • Experience working with volunteers 

  • Knowledge of Spectrum procedures and best practice in collections care 

  • Computer literacy, including Microsoft Office, and collections management systems such as Modes 

  • Excellent attention to detail 

  • Good communication skills 

  • Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team 

  • Ability to work independently, organising and prioritising own workload 

  • Flexibility and ability to adapt to shifting demands 

  • Interest in industrial heritage 

  • Willingness to work occasional weekends and evenings, with time off in lieu 

 

Desirable 

  • Experience rationalising collections 

  • Experience working with larger or working collections, such as industrial machinery 

  • Knowledge of ABTEM guidelines 

Closing Date: 23rd December 2024 at noon.  

Interviews expected to take place: Early January 

 

Please send a CV and Covering Letter to info@museumoftechnology.com   

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The Dogs of CMT | Celebrating International Dog Day

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The Dogs of CMT | Celebrating International Dog Day

Here at CMT, we are proud of being a dog friendly site. We are big believers that heritage is for everyone, and that includes our furry friends! We welcome all creatures to the Museum when we open, but we are also fortunate enough to have a number of dogs that we call are own.

These pooches are all regulars to our site, and if you make your way to us when we are open, you might just get a chance to spot one of them!

Samantha Fox

Samantha Fox in her natural habitat — posing.

Samantha Fox, just like her namesake, is a born model.

Brought to us by our volunteer Andy (‘New Andy’, not to be confused with ‘Old Andy’), Samantha is the poster girl of the Museum thanks to her ability to always find her light and strike a pose whenever she sees a camera! Samatha often hangs out at the Museum over the summer (or whenever her humans go on holiday and leave her in Andy’s capable hands) and will always be here whenever she hears the word ‘photoshoot’.

Samantha Fox is a very good girl.

Lulu

Lulu (pictured in HER museum).

Lulu is our longest serving museum dog and has certianly put in her hours over the years!

Lulu belongs to Andy (‘Old Andy’, not to be confused with Samantha Fox’s human, ‘New Andy’), and is here most steam days to help support our stokers at the boiler. Lulu’s favourite activites include eating absolutely everything, snoozing by the warm boiler, and letting everyone know that she owns the place (the Museum belongs to Lulu and she is kind enough to let us open it to the public).

Lulu is a very good girl.

Wilf

Wilf showing off his fabulous haircut!

Wilf is a handsome pooch who comes and helps on our ticket desk with his human Richard.

Like his owner, Wilf supports some fabulous hair and helps to make us a fashion forward musuem. Wilf enjoys lounging behind the ticket desk, having treats and welcoming all the dogs who come and visit the Museum.

Wilf is a very good boy.

Flo

Flo looking as regal as usual!

Flo is the new kid on the scene, and has certainly made her presence known in the time she has been here.

Coming with her owner Leila, Flo is a classy lady who loves to look stylish (she HATES to put her raincoat on, much prefering to support a more ‘natural’ look). She is poised, playful and enjoys saying hello to anyone who wants to see her. Flo is often seen with fellow museum dog, Lulu, and, contray to their size difference, is often being told what to do by her.

Flo is a very good girl.

George

George basking in the sun.

George (Georgie Porgie to his friends) is a very paitent fellow who comes with his own steam engines! A member of the Allen family, George helps to run engines, William and Bostin, and does a fine job of doing it.

In between helping with the engines, George can be found dozing, looking for people to play with, and hoping someone will giving him a good scratch.

Georgie is a very good boy.

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