The Whipple Museum of the history of science is reopening in Cambridge

The Whipple Museum is reopening this week after urgent roof repairs forced it to close for 10 months.

The museum’s collection focuses on the history of science with highlights such as the 18th century Grand Orrery built by George Adams, and William Herschel’s Newtonian telescope - as well as the world’s pre-eminent collection of Mars Globes, all with different designs and their own stories.

A spokesperson for the museum said: “Moving all of the objects has been like a huge 3D jigsaw puzzle which has taken us months to complete, made harder as we are a very small team.

“The closure has been necessary due to structural repairs to the building. Our skylights were leaking and needed to be replaced. Further structural and conservation work on the museum roof has also been carried out – the building is Grade 2 listed, so special care was needed. Our flooring has also been replaced and our lighting updated.”

The Whipple Museum's collection has more than 10,000 objects, including scientific instruments, apparatus, models, pictures, prints, photographs, books and other material related to the history of science.