Name |
Image |
Town/City |
Region |
Type |
Summary |
Art Exchange | | Colchester | Colchester | Art | website, part of the University of Essex, international, contemporary art by established and emerging artists, historic figures who continue to inspire, and group shows |
Ashdon Museum | | Ashdon | Uttlesford | Local | website, 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 |
Boxted Airfield Museum | | Langham | Colchester | Military | website, history of RAF Boxted in WWII |
Bragg's Mill | | Ashdon | Uttlesford | Mill | Mid 18th century windmill |
Braintree Museum | | Braintree | Braintree | Multiple | website, local history, industry, textiles, ceramics and art, and "The Essex Model House" by St Osyth Mahala Wood |
Brentwood Museum | | Brentwood | Brentwood | Local | website |
Brightlingsea Museum | | Brightlingsea | Tendring | Local | website, local history, Roman life, shipbuilding, oyster industry |
Burnham-on-Crouch & District Museum | | Burnham-on-Crouch | Maldon | Local | Local history, maritime, agricultural, industrial and social history |
Canvey Island Heritage Centre | | Canvey Island | Castle Point | Local | website |
Canvey Island Transport Museum | | Canvey Island | Castle Point | Transportation | website, automobiles, buses, commercial, military and emergency vehicles, public road transport artifacts, model train layout; located in a former bus depot |
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, 7ΒΌ" 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 |
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 | | St Osyth | Tendring | Military | website, located in a Martello tower, military artifacts, items recovered from local aircraft crash sites |
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 |
Finchingfield Guildhall | | Finchingfield | Braintree | Local | website, 15th century guildhall under restoration, houses the Finchingfield Heritage Center and Finchingfield Library |
Firstsite | | Colchester | Colchester | Art | Contemporary visual arts centre and gallery |
Frinton's Crossing Cottage, Garden and Railway Museum | | Frinton-on-Sea | Tendring | Local | website, operated by the Frinton & Walton Heritage Trust, local and area railroad history |
Fry Art Gallery | | Saffron Walden | Uttlesford | Art | Emphasis on local artists, includes paintings, prints, illustrations, wallpapers and decorative designs by artists of the 20th century and the present |
Gibberd Gallery | | Harlow | Harlow | Art | website, changing exhibits and Frederick Gibberd collection of British watercolours and drawings, operated by The Harlow Art Trust |
Great Bardfield Cottage Museum | | Great Bardfield | Braintree | Local | information, local history |
Great Dunmow Museum | | Great Dunmow | Uttlesford | Local | website, local history, industry, culture |
Halstead Heritage Museum | | Halstead | Braintree | Local | website, local history, culture, transport, operated by the Halstead & District Local History Society |
Harlow Museum | | Harlow | Harlow | Local | website, walled gardens, local history, Roman era & artifacts, Tudor life, Victorian household items, toys |
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, operated by the Harwich Society |
Hedingham Castle | | Castle Hedingham | Braintree | Historic house | Medieval Norman keep and grounds |
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 | | 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, also Haven Plotlands Museum, a 1930s period bungalow country getaway |
Layer Marney Tower | | Colchester | Colchester | Historic house | 16th century Tudor palace and gardens |
Little Baddow History Centre | | Little Baddow | Chelmsford | Local | website |
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 |
Maldon Museum | | Maldon | Maldon | Local | website, also known as Museum in the Park, located in a park keeper's lodge |
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 |
Minories Art Gallery | | Colchester | Colchester | Art | Part of the Colchester Institute |
Mountnessing Windmill | | Mountnessing | Brentwood | Mill | Early 19th century windmill |
Munnings Art Museum | | Dedham | Colchester | Art | Home and works of Sir Alfred Munnings, located in Castle House |
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, art gallery |
Nazeing Glass Museum of 20th Century British Domestic Glass | | Nazeing | Epping Forest | Art | website, works and history of Nazeing Glass Works and other British glass manufacturers in the 20th century |
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 |
Peter Edwards Museum & Library | | Chelmsford | Chelmsford | Sports | website, history and memorabilia of the Essex County Cricket Club, located at County Cricket Ground |
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 | | Southend-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | Historic house | 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 | 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 |
The Time Machine | | Harlow | Harlow | Science | website, hands-on science and technology exhibits |
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 |
Walton Maritime Museum | | Walton-on-the-Naze | Tendring | Maritime | website, former lifeboat station with maritime artifacts, local history, natural history, restore James Stevens 14 lifeboat, operated by the Frinton & Walton Heritage Trust |
Warner Textile Archive | | Braintree | 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 |