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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.

1 Museums
2 Defunct museums
3 References
4 See also

Museums [edit]

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	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	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	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	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	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