The Sedgwick has a collection of more than 1 million rocks, minerals and fossils. The museum was built in memory of Adam Sedgwick and started with Dr John Woodward's bequest of his fossil collection in 1728 (still on display in its original cabinets).
The museum logo is based on the Iguanodon skeleton displayed by the entrance. A display board explains that the skeleton is incorrectly mounted in an upright posture rather than a horizontal one but as the upright posture is widely recognised on the logo it was decided to leave the specimen and logo as they are.
Displays include a gallery of minerals and gemstones, rocks collected by Charles Darwin on the 'Voyage of the Beagle', dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Triassic, and fossils from the local area including a hippopotamus from the nearby Barrington gravel pits.
The museum also has a small shop which sells souvenirs as well as geological equipment.
The Sedgwick is regularly used as a venue for events aimed at outreach and widening interest in Earth Sciences such as the annual Cambridge Science Festival.