List of museums in Essex

This list of museums in Essex, England contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

Contents

Museums

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name Image Town/City Region Type Summary
Ashdon Museum Ashdon Uttlesford Local information, local history, trades, agriculture, social history
Audley End House Saffron Walden Uttlesford Historic house Operated by English Heritage, early 17th-century country house, finely furnished rooms, masterpieces by Hans Holbein and Canaletto, 1880s period servant's wing, gardens
Aythorpe Roding Windmill Aythorpe Roding Uttlesford Mill Late 18th century windmill
Barleylands Farm Museum Billericay Basildon Agriculture Early farm machinery and tractors, tools, household implements, farm and animals
Beecroft Art Gallery Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Art Collection ranges from 17th century Dutch paintings to contemporary work
Bocking Windmill Bocking Braintree Mill Early 18th century windmill
Bourne Mill, Essex Colchester Colchester Mill website, operated by the National Trust, Elizabethan water mill
Bragg's Mill Ashdon Uttlesford Mill Mid 18th century windmill
Braintree District Museum Braintree Braintree Multiple website, local history, industry, textiles, ceramics and art, and "The Essex Model House" by St Osyth Mahala Wood
Brightlingsea Museum Brightlingsea Tendring Local website, local history, Roman life, shipbuilding, oyster industry
Burnham-on-Crouch & District Museum Burnham-on-Crouch Maldon Local website, local history, maritime, agricultural, industrial and social history
Castle House Dedham Colchester Art Home and works of Sir Alfred Munnings
Castle Point Transport Museum Canvey Island Castle Point Transportation website, automobiles, buses, commercial, military and emergency vehicles, public road transport artifacts
Cater Museum Billericay Basildon Local website, local history, period rooms
Chelmsford Museum Chelmsford Chelmsford Multiple Local history, art, archaeology, natural history, industry, part of Chelmsford Museums
Coalhouse Fort East Tilbury Thurrock Military 19th century Victorian coastal defence fort open on specified days, includes military museums and vehicles
Coggeshall Grange Barn Coggeshall Colchester Agriculture website, operated by the National Trust, 14th century barn built for Coggeshall Abbey, collection of farm tools and equipment
Coggeshall Museum Coggeshall Colchester Local website, local history, industry, agriculture, culture, lace
Colchester Castle Museum Colchester Colchester History Norman castle with exhibits of local history, archaeology and Roman history
Colne Valley Postal History Museum Halstead Braintree Philatelic website, British Post Office letter boxes, stamp vending machines, documents, postal uniforms and associated artefacts, open by appointment
Colne Valley Railway Sible Hedingham Braintree Railway Heritage railway, 7¼" miniature railway, exhibit centre with history and artefacts, rare breed farm, located at Castle Hedingham Station
Combined Military Services Museum Maldon Maldon Military website, combat equipment and weaponry used by the British armed forces from medieval times to the present, lifestyles of the troops, uniforms, Secret Service, artifacts, vehicles
Copped Hall Waltham Abbey Epping Forest Historic house 16th century Georgian mansion under restoration, gardens
Cottage Museum Great Bardfield Braintree Local website, local history
Cressing Temple Cressing Braintree History Medieval barns and well used by temple of the Knights Templar, Tudor walled garden, early 17th century house, granary and court hall
Duck End Mill Finchingfield Braintree Mill Mid 18th century windmill
Dutch Cottage Museum Canvey Island Castle Point Historic house website, operated by the Benfleet and District Historical Society
Earls Colne Heritage Museum Earls Colne Braintree Local website, local history
East Anglian Railway Museum Chappel Colchester Railway Heritage railway and museum, includes equipment, station buildings, signal boxes, goods shed and restoration shed
East Essex Aviation Society and Museum Point Clear Tendring Military website
Epping Forest District Museum Waltham Abbey Epping Forest Local website, local history, archaeology, history of the abbey, medieval and Tudor artifacts, Victorian life
Essex Fire Museum Grays Thurrock Firefighting website
Essex Police Museum Chelmsford Chelmsford Law enforcement website, history of Essex Police from 1840 to present day, Victorian jail cell
Essex Regiment Museum Chelmsford Chelmsford Military Regimental history and memorabilia, part of Chelmsford Museums
Feering and Kelvedon Local History Museum Kelvedon Braintree Local website, local history, archaeology, agriculture, trades
firstsite Colchester Colchester Art website, contemporary visual arts centre and gallery
Fry Art Gallery Saffron Walden Uttlesford Art Emphasis on local artists
Gibberd Gallery Harlow Harlow Art website, changing exhibits and Frederick Gibberd collection of British watercolours and drawings
Great Bardfield Cage Great Bardfield Braintree Prison information
Great Dunmow Maltings Great Dunmow Uttlesford Food website, restored 16th century malthouse, houses the Great Dunmow Museum
Great Dunmow Museum Great Dunmow Uttlesford Local website, local history, industry, culture
Halstead Heritage Museum Halstead Braintree Local website, local history, culture, transport
Harwich Lifeboat Museum Harwich Tendring Maritime website, operated by the Harwich Society, information, located in a former lifeboat station with exhibits about sea rescues
Harwich Maritime Museum Harwich Tendring Maritime website, operated by the Harwich Society, located in a decommissioned lighthouse, nautical artifacts, information
Harwich Redoubt Harwich Tendring Military Napoleonic fort
Haven Plotlands Museum Basildon Basildon Historic house website, 1930s period bungalow
Hedingham Castle Castle Hedingham Braintree Historic house Medieval Norman keep and grounds
Heritage Centre (St Katherines) Canvey Island Castle Point Local information, information, local history, crafts
Hill Hall Epping Epping Forest Historic house Operated by English Heritage, Elizabethan mansion, tours by appointment
Hollytrees Museum Colchester Colchester Local Local history, toys, costumes
Hylands House and Estate Chelmsford Chelmsford Historic house Restored 18th century Queen Anne style house, park and gardens
Ingatestone Hall Ingatestone Brentwood Historic house 16th century Tudor house and grounds
John Webb's Mill Thaxted Uttlesford Mill Early 19th century windmill
Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker Kelvedon Hatch Brentwood Military Underground bunker used during the Cold War as a regional government headquarters
Langdon Visitor Centre & Haven Plotlands Museum Basildon Basildon Multiple Natural history of the nature reserve, 1930s period bungalow country getaway
Layer Marney Tower Colchester Colchester Historic house 16th century Tudor palace and gardens
Maeldune Centre Maldon Maldon Local Local history, art, modern large embroidery about the Battle of Maldon
Maldon District Agricultural & Domestic Museum Maldon Maldon History information, vintage farm machinery and equipment, agriculture tools, household items
Mangapps Railway Museum Burnham-on-Crouch Maldon Railway Heritage railway and museum, includes rolling equipment, memorabilia, buildings
Manningtree Museum Manningtree Tendring Local website, local history
Mersea Island Museum Mersea Island Colchester Local website, fishing, oystering, wild fowling, boat building, local history, natural history, geology
Mountnessing Windmill Mountnessing Brentwood Mill Early 19th century windmill
Museum of Harlow Harlow Harlow Local website, local history, Roman era and artifacts, Tudor life, Victorian household items, toys
Museum of Power Langford Maldon Technology Located in a water pumping station, features working examples of steam engines, machinery, equipment and tools, miniature railway
Natural History Museum, Colchester Colchester Colchester Natural history website, natural heritage of north-east Essex
Naze Tower Walton-on-the-Naze Tendring Natural history Tower with viewing platform, museum about the ecology and environment of the Naze headland
North Weald Airfield Museum North Weald Bassett Epping Forest Military History of the former military airfield
Nottage Maritime Institute Wivenhoe Colchester Maritime website, maritime paintings, photographs, models and artifacts
Paycocke's Coggeshall Colchester Historic house website, operated by the National Trust, early 16th century house with elaborate paneling and woodcarving, garden
Prittlewell Priory Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Religious Medieval priory
Purfleet Heritage & Military Centre Purfleet Thurrock Military website, located in a former Royal magazine for gunpowder, artifacts and memorabilia from all the armed forces
Rayleigh Windmill Rayleigh Rochford Mill Early 19th century windmill
Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Museum Ridgewell Braintree Military website, uniforms, artifacts, medals, memorabilia of the World War II airfield, the 381st Bomb Group and the No. 90 Squadron RAF
Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey Epping Forest Multiple Complex includes science of gunpowder exhibits, history of the site, exhibits of weapons and military artifacts, transportation, rockets, 1940s street scene, history of the Gunpowder Plot, narrow gauge railway, woodlands
Saffron Walden Museum Saffron Walden Uttlesford Multiple website, local history, natural history, Ancient Egypt, archaeology, decorative arts, costumes, ethnographic artifacts
Sandford Mill Chelmsford Chelmsford Science website, area industrial history and the science involved, part of Chelmsford Museums
Southchurch Hall Museum Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Historic house website, early 14th century half-timbered medieval manor house with period rooms depicting life in different centuries
Southend Central Museum Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Multiple Local history, natural history, planetarium
Southend Pier Museum Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Amusement website, history of the Southend Pier, working penny slot machines
Stansted Mountfitchet Windmill Stansted Mountfitchet Uttlesford Mill Late 18th century windmill
Stock Windmill Stock Chelmsford Mill Early 19th century windmill
Thaxted Guildhall Thaxted Uttlesford Historic house website, 14th century guild hall
Thurrock Museum Grays Thurrock Local website, local history, culture, archaeology, industry, culture, social history
Tilbury Fort Tilbury Thurrock Military Operated by English Heritage, 17th century artillery fort
Tymperleys Clock Museum Colchester Colchester Horology website, 15th century timber-framed house with Colchester-made clocks from 1640 to 1840
University Gallery, University of Essex Colchester Colchester Art website, part of the University of Essex
Walton Hall Museum Stanford-le-Hope Thurrock History website, includes militaria, motoring, household bygones, dairy and nursery items, wheel-wrights, printing shop, blacksmith, old village bakery, toys, household items, road rollers
Walton Maritime Museum Walton-on-the-Naze Tendring Maritime information, former lifeboat station with maritime artifacts, local history, natural history
Warner Textile Archive Bocking Braintree Textile website, an archive of some 100,000 items relating to the textile industry in Braintree, in particular the legacy of Warner and Sons.
Wilkin & Sons Visitor Centre Tiptree Colchester Food Tearoom, shop and museum of Wilkin & Sons jams and jam-making

Defunct museums

References

  1. ^ http://www.motorboatmuseum.org.uk/home/ Motorboat Museum

See also

Unitary authorities
Boroughs or districts
Major settlements
Rivers
Topics
Museums in the United Kingdom
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales