Cambridge Museum of Technology

What Cambridge Museum of Technology does

Cambridge Museum of Technology is an independent, volunteer-run charitable incorporated organisation (charity number 1156685) founded in 1971 in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It operates a heritage museum at the historic Victorian sewage pumping station on Cheddars Lane — a 130-year-old Scheduled Monument on the River Cam listed on Historic England's At-Risk Register. The museum preserves and interprets Cambridge's industrial and technological heritage through three core exhibition strands: the Victorian Pumping Station with working steam engines including the North Hathorn Davey engine, the Pye Museum@CMT showcasing nationally important radios, televisions, and radar technology from Cambridge's early high-tech firms, and a Print Shop housing printing presses dating from the 1820s to the late 20th century.

The organisation serves five primary customer segments: families with children (primary), schools and educational groups (primary), heritage and industrial archaeology enthusiasts, the local East Cambridge community, and corporate/private event clients. Core offerings include general admission, ticketed Steam Days events, guided heritage walks, STEM-aligned school workshops, and venue hire of the Pumping Station, Pye Building, and outdoor spaces for corporate functions and community gatherings. On-site hospitality is delivered through channel partners Kerb Kollective (coffee) and Engineers House (bar/pizza by Calverley Brewery and Al Forno).

Revenue is generated across five streams: admission tickets (adult £7.00, concession £6.00, Steam Day adult £12.00), venue hire, grants and donations (notably £99,932 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in March 2024 and £100,000+ cumulatively from Historic England and Architectural Heritage Fund), guided tours and events, and on-site hospitality partnership fees. Distribution is direct via the museum's website (museumoftechnology.com) for online ticketing and an on-site box office; venue hire is sold through direct enquiry. A pricing restructure in March 2026 made admission free for children aged 0-15/16 when accompanied by a paying adult, signalling a deliberate shift toward family and educational accessibility.

Name

Cambridge Museum of Technology

Legal name

Cambridge Museum of Technology

Website

https://museumoftechnology.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cambridge Museum of Technology is an independent charity operating a heritage museum at a Victorian Scheduled Monument in Cambridge, UK, preserving industrial history through steam engines, the Pye collection, and STEM education for families, schools, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum and Industrial Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAD

Science & Technology Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJADAB

History Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYBPAGAHAA

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

Keywords

• Heritage museum operations
• Industrial archaeology preservation
• STEM education workshops
• Corporate venue hire
• Community heritage engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for general museum entry and special events including Steam Days. Standard tickets from £6.00-£7.00 for adults, concessions available. Special event tickets priced higher.
2. Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring out spaces including the Pumping Station, Pye Building, and outdoor areas for corporate events, private functions, and community gatherings.
3. Grants and Donations: Significant funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund (£99,932 grant for Full Steam Ahead project), Historic England, Architectural Heritage Fund, and various charitable supporters. Also receives donations from visitors and members.
4. Hospitality Partnerships: On-site hospitality operators including Kerb Kollective (coffee), Engineers House (bar/pizza) pay to operate on site, contributing to site maintenance costs.
5. Guided Tours and Events: Revenue from heritage walks (£16 per person), CIAG meetings (£5), and special events including folk performances and workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cambridge Museum of Technology preserves and interprets Cambridge's industrial heritage from its base in a 130-year-old Victorian Scheduled Monument on the River Cam. It delivers permanent exhibitions (Victorian Pumping Station, Pye Building, Print Shop), temporary exhibitions, recurring events (Steam Days, Heritage Walks, Folk Day), curriculum-aligned STEM education workshops for schools, and hire of museum spaces for corporate and private events.

Product overview

Cambridge Museum of Technology is a heritage museum offering a unified visitor experience centered on industrial heritage preservation and education. The core offering comprises the Victorian Pumping Station exhibition, the Pye Museum@CMT exhibition, Print Shop, and the How Radio, TV and Radar Work educational exhibition. Additional offerings include Steam Days events, Heritage Walks, Education Workshops, and Venue Hire services. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions including What Happened Next and Radio Enters the Home. All offerings are coordinated under a single admission ticket structure with supporting hospitality services on-site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Admission and Victorian Pumping Station Exhibition General museum admission covering the Victorian Pumping Station exhibition, a 130-year-old former sewage pumping station on the River Cam and Scheduled Monument, featuring original industrial machinery including working steam engines. Open to the public Thursday to Sunday, with admission tiers for adults, concessions, children, and families.
• Pye Museum@CMT Exhibition Permanent exhibition in the Pye Building showcasing the history of Pye, the iconic Cambridge company, including radios, televisions, and early high-tech products that propelled Cambridge into technical innovation. Curated in partnership with the Pye History Trust.
• Print Shop Exhibition and Demonstrations Historical printing exhibition featuring presses and equipment dating from the 1820s to the late 20th century, with demonstrations and hands-on printing activities available for visitors on selected open days.
• School Education Workshops STEM-focused educational programmes for pre-school through secondary schools, home education groups, and language schools. Workshops cover rivers, printing, rockets, and bridges and align with the national curriculum for various key stages. Delivered by the museum's Education Officer.
• Steam Days Events Special event weekends where the museum's steam engines are operated for public viewing, featuring the restored North Hathorn Davey engine and auxiliary steam engines. Ticketed separately from general admission with adult, concession, family, and child pricing.
• Heritage Walks Programme Guided walking tours exploring Cambridge's industrial heritage, including River Walks, Gasworks tours, and Railway walks from Cambridge North station to the museum. £16 per person including museum admission.
• Venue Hire Hire of museum spaces including the Pumping Station, Pye Building, and Engineers House grounds for corporate events, away days, private functions, and community gatherings. Enquiry-based booking.
• Folk Day Annual folk music festival held at the museum featuring local performers selected and introduced by Cambridge Folk Club and Black Fen Folk Club partners. Held during the museum's summer opening hours.
• Museum Membership Membership scheme offered to supporters of the museum providing ongoing benefits and recurring financial support to the charity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prevented approximately 197kg of waste and 1,053kg CO2 emissions through Repair Cafe events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kerb KollectivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2026Coffee operator on Lower Yard providing barista coffee and light refreshments. Current agreement runs until 31 August 2026. Museum is seeking replacement operator through open tender process to integrate with Engineers House hospitality space.
• Royal InstitutionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Partnership to livestream the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures at the museum, bringing world-famous science communication to Cambridge audiences.
• The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Museum volunteers presented research at the TICCIH 2025 conference in Kiruna, Sweden, contributing to international industrial heritage scholarship.
• Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Cambridge branch partnership for drone workshop event. IMECHE provides support and sponsorship for STEM education events at the museum.
• Abbey PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Local community charity partnership for Repair Cafe events. Hosts environmental sustainability events with Cambridge Carbon Footprint network. Collaboration funded by National Lottery Climate Action funding.
• Cambridge NetworkminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2024Hosted Connect business event in Pye Building with over 70 registered members. Partnership for venue hire and enterprise engagement.
• Pye History TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization dedicated to preserving Pye company history. Produces explainer videos on radio, television, and radar technology. Provides expert tour guides for Pye exhibitions, including former Pye employees.
• Cambridge Industrial Archaeology Group (CIAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate society of The Association for Industrial Archaeology. Organizes presentations and industrial-heritage guided walks. Hosts research presentations and collaborates on exhibitions and educational content.
• Engineers House (Calverleys Brewery and Al Forno)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvening hospitality venue serving craft beers from Calverley Brewery and pizzas from Al Forno. Located adjacent to museum with river views. Redevelopment starting November 2025 to integrate with Lower Yard hospitality space.
• Cambridge University Department of EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for Summer at the Museums activities. Provides engineering workshops including rocket launches and bridge-building challenges for families during school holidays.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bradford Industrial Museum: Moorside Mills-based museum of textile, printing, and engineering machinery with working exhibits. Comparable industrial heritage collections (especially the printing presses overlapping CMT's Print Shop), family programming, and volunteer-led operations.

Direct peers

• Kew Bridge Steam Museum: Waterworks museum in a former Victorian pumping station housing the world's largest collection of working steam pumping engines. Directly comparable as a steam-engine / industrial-pumping heritage site with volunteer-driven operations and family-focused programming.
• Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust: UNESCO World Heritage Site museum trust dedicated to the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, featuring working industrial machinery and STEM education programmes. Highly comparable in industrial-heritage focus, volunteer engagement, and STEM education mission (one of CMT's collections officers previously worked at Ironbridge Gorge Museum).
• Museum of Cambridge: Local heritage museum covering Cambridge social history. Comparable as a small Cambridge-focused heritage charity with similar volunteer base, community programming, and audience of residents and visitors (CMT freelance evaluation consultant Laura Owen has worked with Museum of Cambridge).
• National Coal Mining Museum for England: Industrial heritage museum in a former colliery offering underground tours, school workshops, and community programmes. Closely comparable volunteer/community-driven heritage model — CMT's Communities and Visitor Engagement Officer Joanne Hamilton previously led the Visitor Welcome Team at this museum.
• Papplewick Pumping Station: Restored Victorian waterworks pumping station in Nottinghamshire with working beam engines operated on steaming days. Comparable as a Victorian pumping-station heritage site with volunteer-led engine-running events and family/educational programming.
• Crossness Pumping Station: Victorian Thames-side sewage pumping station preserved as a museum with working steam engines. The closest functional analogue to Cambridge Museum of Technology's Victorian Pumping Station on the River Cam, including comparable Scheduled Monument status, steam engine operation days, and volunteer-driven model.
• Whipple Museum of the History of Science: Cambridge University museum of scientific instruments and apparatus. Directly comparable as a Cambridge-based science/technology heritage museum with overlapping STEM-education mission and trustee overlap (Trustee Steve Kruse has worked at Whipple for over ten years).
• Abbey Pumping Station (Leicester): Victorian sewage pumping station in Leicester housing four working beam engines and a museum of science and technology. Closely comparable as a Victorian pumping-station museum with working steam/gas engines, industrial heritage collections, and STEM education focus.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester): Major UK industrial heritage museum covering textiles, power, and computing history with hands-on STEM programming. Comparable industrial heritage and STEM-education mission, though at substantially larger scale and operating as part of the Science and Industry Museum group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CamTechMuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCX8e2s0XqXz6qJ5X5XqXz6q
• Facebookfacebook.com/CambridgeMuseumofTechnology
• Instagraminstagram.com/kerb_kollective
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridgemuseumoftechnology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Museum of Technology