Photo: Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Museums & Galleries in Essex
Rainy day or culture fix, the museums and galleries around Essex have you covered — think Sandford Mill Museum, Essex Police Museum and Peter Edwards Library & Museum — many are free, and the distances below help you pick the closest.
Museums & Galleries
4.2 mi from Essex
Chelmsford Museum
The Museum of Chelmsford, set in Oaklands House in Oaklands Park, takes you through the city's history from the Ice Age to the present day, with a mammoth, an Anglo-Saxon burial di...
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4.6 mi from Essex
The Museum of Power
The Museum of Power is housed in a former water pumping station, with a collection ranging from a working overhead machine shop to a petrol powered iron, and its centrepiece is the...
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5.8 mi from Essex
Combined Military Services Museum
The Combined Military Services Museum is a militaria collection covering weapons, uniforms and equipment from Victorian times through to the Gulf Wars. You can explore firearms cap...
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6.4 mi from Essex
Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome Museum
Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome is a WW1 aviation museum set among the largest surviving Great War aerodrome buildings in Europe, in the Essex countryside near Maldon. You can expl...
8.7 mi from Essex
Warner Textile Archive
Warner Textile Archive is a research facility dedicated to the history of the luxury textile manufacturers Warner & Sons, tracing their story back to the seventeenth century. Here...
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8.9 mi from Essex
Braintree Museum
Braintree Museum is a local history museum in Braintree, open all year round from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am till 4pm, with last admissions at 3.30pm. You can explore an engaging ex...
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10.2 mi from Essex
Coggeshall Museum
Coggeshall Museum tells the story of this small Essex town from its earliest times, with a changing collection of artefacts loaned or donated by local people. It's a good stop for...
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11.6 mi from Essex
Dunmow Maltings
Great Dunmow Maltings is a Grade II listed hall in the centre of Great Dunmow, a short walk from the High Street, used for community events, classes and private hire. Inside you'll...
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13 mi from Essex
Mangapp's Farm
Mangapps Railway Museum is a privately owned working railway and museum set on a farm at Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex. You can ride along a 1 mile standard gauge passenger line, expl...
13.3 mi from Essex
Radio Caroline Ross Revenge
Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford, initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting... — Wikipedia
14.5 mi from Essex
Great Bardfield Cottage Museum
Local museum in Great Bardfield, Essex, England, UK
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14.6 mi from Essex
Brentwood Museum
Brentwood Museum is a small cottage museum housed in a quaint Victorian cemetery lodge, once home to the sexton and his family. Inside you'll find hundreds of household items refle...
15.1 mi from Essex
Leigh Heritage Centre
Leigh Heritage Centre occupies the old Smithy in the heart of Old Leigh, rescued and restored by the Leigh Society after years of disrepair. Inside, you'll find displays on local h...
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15.1 mi from Essex
Prittlewell Priory
Prittlewell Priory is a medieval priory in the Prittlewell area of Southend, Essex, England. It was founded in the 12th century, by monks from the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras in L... — Wikipedia
Where to stay near Essex
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Essex
Haunted Britain
Make a day of it
Lots of UK museums are free with a suggested donation, and paid ones often do annual passes for little more than a day ticket — worth it if you're local or returning.
See everything on one page with things to do in Essex, or turn the day trip into a break with places to stay in Essex.
Frequently asked questions
How far are these from Essex?
Every attraction shows its distance from Essex — most families find up to 30 miles workable for a day out, and the list is sorted nearest first.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Essex.