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.
| Name | Image | Town/City | Region | Type | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Local | website, local history, trades, agriculture, social history | ||||
| 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 | |||
| Uttlesford | Mill | Late 18th century windmill | |||
| Agriculture | Early farm machinery and tractors, tools, household implements, farm and animals | ||||
| Southend-on-Sea | Art | Collection ranges from 17th-century Dutch paintings to contemporary work | |||
| Mill | Early 18th century windmill | ||||
| Mill | website, operated by the National Trust, Elizabethan water mill | ||||
| Colchester | Military | website, history of RAF Boxted in WWII | |||
| Uttlesford | Mill | Mid 18th century windmill | |||
| Braintree | Braintree | Multiple | website, local history, industry, textiles, ceramics and art, and "The Essex Model House" by St Osyth Mahala Wood | ||
| Brentwood Museum | Local | website | |||
| Brightlingsea Museum | Local | website, local history, Roman life, shipbuilding, oyster industry | |||
| Local | Local history, maritime, agricultural, industrial and social history | ||||
| Canvey Island Heritage Centre | 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 | |
| Basildon | Local | website, local history, period rooms | |||
| Multiple | Local history, art, archaeology, natural history, industry | ||||
| Military | 19th century Victorian coastal defence fort open on specified days, includes military museums and vehicles | ||||
| 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 | Colchester | History | Norman castle with exhibits of local history, archaeology and Roman history | ||
| Colne Valley Postal History Museum | Braintree | Philatelic | website, British Post Office letter boxes, stamp vending machines, documents, postal uniforms and associated artefacts, open by appointment | ||
| Braintree | Railway | Heritage railway, 7ΒΌ" miniature railway, exhibit centre with history and artefacts, rare breed farm, located at Castle Hedingham Station | |||
| 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 | |||
| Historic house | Georgian mansion under restoration, gardens | ||||
| Braintree | History | Medieval barns and well used by temple of the Knights Templar, Tudor walled garden, early 17th-century house, granary and court hall | |||
| Braintree | Mill | Mid 18th century windmill | |||
| Dutch Cottage Museum | Historic house | website, operated by the Benfleet and District Historical Society | |||
| Earls Colne Heritage Museum | Braintree | Local | website, local history | ||
| Colchester | Railway | Heritage railway and museum, includes equipment, station buildings, signal boxes, goods shed and restoration shed | |||
| East Essex Aviation Society and Museum | Tendring | Military | website, located in a Martello tower, military artifacts, items recovered from local aircraft crash sites | ||
| Epping Forest | Local | website, local history, archaeology, history of the abbey, medieval and Tudor artifacts, Victorian life | |||
| Essex Fire Museum | Thurrock | Firefighting | website | ||
| Chelmsford | Chelmsford | Law enforcement | website, history of Essex Police from 1840 to present day, Victorian jail cell | ||
| Chelmsford | Chelmsford | Military | Regimental history and memorabilia, located at the Chelmsford Museum | ||
| Feering and Kelvedon Local History Museum | Braintree | Local | website, local history, archaeology, agriculture, trades | ||
| Braintree | Local | website, 15th century guildhall under restoration, houses the Finchingfield Heritage Center and Finchingfield Library | |||
| Colchester | Colchester | Art | Contemporary visual arts centre and gallery | ||
| Frinton's Crossing Cottage, Garden and Railway Museum | Tendring | Local | website, operated by the Frinton & Walton Heritage Trust, local and area railroad history | ||
| Uttlesford | Art | Emphasis on local artists, includes paintings, prints, illustrations, wallpapers and decorative designs by artists of the 20th century and the present | |||
| Art | website, changing exhibits and Frederick Gibberd collection of British watercolours and drawings, operated by The Harlow Art Trust | ||||
| Great Bardfield Cottage Museum | Braintree | Local | information, local history | ||
| Uttlesford | Local | website, local history, industry, culture | |||
| Halstead Heritage Museum | Braintree | Local | website, local history, culture, transport, operated by the Halstead & District Local History Society | ||
| Local | website, walled gardens, local history, Roman era & artifacts, Tudor life, Victorian household items, toys | ||||
| Tendring | Maritime | website, operated by the Harwich Society, information, located in a former lifeboat station with exhibits about sea rescues | |||
| Harwich | Tendring | Maritime | website, operated by the Harwich Society, located in a decommissioned lighthouse, nautical artifacts, information | ||
| Harwich | Tendring | Military | Napoleonic fort, operated by the Harwich Society | ||
| Braintree | Historic house | Medieval Norman keep and grounds | |||
| Epping Forest | Historic house | Operated by English Heritage, Elizabethan mansion, tours by appointment | |||
| Colchester | Colchester | Local | Local history, toys, costumes | ||
| Chelmsford | Chelmsford | Historic house | Restored 18th century Queen Anne style house, park and gardens | ||
| Historic house | 16th century Tudor house and grounds | ||||
| Uttlesford | Mill | Early 19th century windmill | |||
| Military | Underground bunker used during the Cold War as a regional government headquarters | ||||
| Basildon | Multiple | Natural history of the nature reserve, also Haven Plotlands Museum, a 1930s period bungalow country getaway | |||
| Colchester | Colchester | Historic house | 16th century Tudor palace and gardens | ||
| Little Baddow History Centre | Chelmsford | Local | website | ||
| 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 | |
| Maldon | Railway | Heritage railway and museum, includes rolling equipment, memorabilia, buildings | |||
| Manningtree Museum | Tendring | Local | website, local history | ||
| Mersea Island Museum | Colchester | Local | website, fishing, oystering, wild fowling, boat building, local history, natural history, geology | ||
| Colchester | Colchester | Art | Part of the Colchester Institute | ||
| Mill | Early 19th century windmill | ||||
| Colchester | Art | Home and works of Sir Alfred Munnings, located in Castle House | |||
| Maldon | Technology | Located in a water pumping station, features working examples of steam engines, machinery, equipment and tools, miniature railway | |||
| Colchester | Colchester | Natural history | website, natural heritage of north-east Essex | ||
| Tendring | Natural history | Tower with viewing platform, museum about the ecology and environment of the Naze headland, art gallery | |||
| Nazeing | Epping Forest | Art | website, works and history of Nazeing Glass Works and other British glass manufacturers in the 20th century | ||
| Epping Forest | Military | History of the former military airfield | |||
| Colchester | Maritime | website, maritime paintings, photographs, models and artifacts | |||
| 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 | |
| Southend-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | Religious | Medieval priory | ||
| Thurrock | Military | website, located in a former Royal magazine for gunpowder, artifacts and memorabilia from all the armed forces | |||
| Local | website, Rayleigh, its people, places and heritage, oldest secular Building in town | ||||
| Mill | Early 19th century windmill | ||||
| Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Museum | Braintree | Military | website, uniforms, artifacts, medals, memorabilia of the World War II airfield, the 381st Bomb Group and the No. 90 Squadron RAF | ||
| 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 | |||
| Uttlesford | Multiple | website, local history, natural history, Ancient Egypt, archaeology, decorative arts, costumes, ethnographic artifacts | |||
| Chelmsford | Chelmsford | Science | website, area industrial history and the science involved, part of Chelmsford Museums | ||
| 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-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | Multiple | Local history, natural history, planetarium | ||
| Southend-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | Amusement | History of the Southend Pier, working penny slot machines | ||
| Uttlesford | Mill | Late 18th century windmill | |||
| Chelmsford | Mill | Early 19th century windmill | |||
| Uttlesford | Historic house | website, 14th century guild hall | |||
| The Time Machine | Harlow | Harlow | Science | website, hands-on science and technology exhibits | |
| Thurrock | Local | website, local history, culture, archaeology, industry, culture, social history | |||
| Thurrock | Military | Operated by English Heritage, 17th century artillery fort | |||
| 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 | |||
| Braintree | Braintree | Textile | Archive of some 100,000 items relating to the textile industry in Braintree, in particular the legacy of Warner and Sons | ||
| Colchester | Food | Tearoom, shop and museum of Wilkin & Sons jams and jam-making | |||