About the Centre for Material Culture (CMC)

The CMC houses collections that represent the cultural heritage, history and creative spirit of peoples in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the United Kingdom, including the Cambridge region.

In 2018, MAA embarked on a five year long project to inventory, transport and re-house collections at a newly repurposed site in Trumpington. The CMC is a repurposed, 1950's Cold War Bunker and Grade II listed building, which now houses collections of tremendous significance to communities both locally and around the world. This ambitious project has now ended and has resulted in the rehousing, documentation and digitisation of over 300,000 objects that can now be viewed online and physically accessed more easily than ever before.

What you'll do

Join us at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's (MAA) Centre for Material Culture (CMC) for a tour of the museum stores.

14:00 - 14:10 - Welcome and Arrival (10 mins)

14:10 - 15:00 - Tour of the CMC (40 mins)

15:00 - 15:30 - Objects in Focus (30 mins)

The CMC is a unique storage facility and working building. Therefore, booking is essential and late arrivals may not be accepted. Please book a ticket for every individual attending.

Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Venue details:

How do I find the building?

The CMC is a large, gated, concrete building that is surrounded by grass and tall mental fencing. It is located on the corner of Gilpin Road and Kingfisher Way.

Address

Gilpin Road / Kingfisher Way

CB2 8BY

University Map: https://map.cam.ac.uk/?maplon=0.12642&maplat=52.18859&mapzoom=15&maplayers=Building+Labels%2CExternal+Sites%2CColleges%2CUniversity+Sites%2CBuildings%2CCar+Parks%2CTransport&mapfeature=mfid1357%2CBuildings

Getting to the CMC:

We do not have a car park and there is no off-street parking. We strongly encourage that you reach us on foot or by bike. There are 10 bike racks outside the building for staff and visitors.

Accessibility:

Regrettably, there is currently no lift access available to the second floor of the CMC where the tour will take place. We are working to improve this.

We will ask that all visitors leave food, drink, and non-essential items in the Entrance Lobby to ensure the safety of the collections.

The building has one downstairs gender-neutral accessible toilet which is shared by staff and visitors.

We have locker and coat rack space available in the Entrance Lobby for personal possessions which will need to be left during the tour.

Tour of the Stores - Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's (MAA) Centre