Wondering where some of science’s greatest discoveries happened? You are standing in front of the Old Cavendish East Wing. It is part of the New Museums Site at the University of Cambridge. This site is a hub of scientific breakthroughs.
The New Museums Site has a rich history. It sits in the heart of medieval Cambridge. The King’s Ditch once ran through this area. An Augustinian Friary was here in 1290. Later, the Free School was built in the 1620s.
In the mid-19th century, the University Botanic Garden was located here. When the garden moved, the university acquired the land. They planned to build new museums and lecture rooms. This was driven by the rise of natural sciences.
Construction began in 1863. The first building opened in 1866. It housed museums of botany mineralogy and morphology. The original Cavendish Laboratory followed in the 1870s. William Cavendish funded it. It became a leading center for experimental physics.
Many important scientific discoveries happened here at the Old Cavendish East Wing and the surrounding New Museums Site. J.J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897. James Chadwick found the neutron in 1932. Also in 1932, Cockcroft and Walton split the atom. Hodgkin and Huxley worked out how nerves conduct signals. Watson and Crick revealed the structure of DNA in 1953.
By the mid-1890s the site was getting crowded. The university bought more land. This became the Downing Site. In the early 20th century, they added the Zoology Building Examination Halls and Arts School. The Mond Laboratory was built in 1932-33.
After World War II, some departments moved to other locations. By the mid-1950s, the university reevaluated the use of the New Museums Site. They considered several redevelopment plans. One plan included tall towers. But it was scaled down after a public inquiry.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the site was redeveloped. Many original buildings were lost. The Arup Building now the David Attenborough Building was constructed. In 1974 the Cavendish Laboratory moved to a new site in West Cambridge.
The New Museums Site has an eclectic mix of architecture. You can see Victorian and Edwardian buildings from 1863 to 1911. There are brown-brick buildings from the 1930s and 1940s. Also, you will find modernist glass-and-concrete buildings from the 1960s and 1970s.
Today, the Old Cavendish East Wing is home to various departments. These include psychology sociology and the Centre for Family Research. It also houses the High-Resolution Electron Microscope. The New Museums Site continues to be a place of learning and discovery.