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Museums Readers have often commented to us on how fortunate we are to have a number of successful museums in our area. Gone are the days when municipal museums were dry as dust - today, they cater for almost every interest and highlight the rich and diverse culture of our county. The organisation ‘Museums in Essex’ produces a comprehensive illustrated guide (Real Essex) to what is on show and where. Here are some of the Museums within easy reach - we advise checking opening times before planning a visit, as some museums are seasonal. Tiptree Museum The Tiptree Visitor Centre Tiptree, Colchester, Essex, CO5 0RF. 01621 814524. Over 50 years ago, John Wilkin began collecting the paraphernalia of preserve making and Essex village life. In quiet corners of the preserve factory he carefully stored away pictures, documents and redundant machines. The museum he set up is jam packed with artefacts! Looking at the developing technology will give you an idea of how preserve making has advanced over the years. You’ll also get a glimpse of what it was like to live in Tiptree and the surrounding countryside. Bringing you up to date, a short DVD presentation shows the production processes for quality preserve making and the history of Wilkin & Sons. The museum is located within The Tiptree visitor centre, where you can also enjoy lunch or a cream tea in the tea room or browse the jam shop. Opening hours: Summer: Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 5pm Winter: Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 11am - 4pm. Entry to the museum is free. Combined Military Services Museum Station Road, Maldon. 01621 841826. Open daily during school holidays 10.30am - 5pm. Otherwise 10.30am - 5pm Weds - Sun. Last admission 4pm. A state registered charity that houses a comprehensive collection of British military artefacts. From suits of armour to Gulf War uniforms, the history of the British armed forces is told through its weapons, uniforms and equipment. Coggeshall Museum The Village Hall, Stoneham Street, Coggeshall, CO6 1UH. www. coggeshallmuseum.org.uk Curator: 01376 563003 (not on site). Open April to end October every Sunday 2:15pm - 4:45pm. Other times by appointment with Curator for groups (4 or more). A donation to the museum is requested for such openings. The Museum opened in 1990 in an annex to St. Peter’s Hall (now the Village Hall) in Stoneham Street. The hall itself was formerly one of Coggeshall’s breweries but since the 1920s has been a focus for many of Coggeshall’s community activities. The museum was established with the aim to preserve Coggeshall’s historic past and to carry on recording today’s events for generations to come. It was set up by enthusiastic band of volunteers who do all the maintenance and the setting of the exhibits which include prehistoric and Roman artefacts, Coggeshall abbey items, a fi ne display of Coggeshall lace and a wool weaving loom as well as items from Coggeshall’s industrial, agricultural and social past. There are displays of photographs of ‘old Coggeshall’ as well as video and PowerPoint shows which run during opening hours. The memorabilia on show has been loaned or donated by local people and some of the exhibits change from year to year, different themes taking precedence, so there is always something new to see. The museum is run entirely by volunteers A free town walk leafl et is available in the museum as well as a variety of other leafl ets about the visitor attractions in the surrounding area. A book commemorating the men of Coggeshall who gave their lives in the two World Wars has been compiled by volunteers at the museum. The book is on display in the museum. Brightlingsea Museum 1 Duke Street, Brightlingsea, Essex, CO7 0EA. 01206 303286. The Museum has a large collection of artefacts, images and information relating to the economic and social history of the town, in particular their unique connection with the Confederation of Cinque Ports, shipbuilding, oyster and fi shing (stowboating). Open to groups (by appointment) from Easter to Christmas, with usual opening times being Easter to the last weekend of September - Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday and Monday 2pm - 5pm. With permanent and temporary displays, guided walks and children’s events, there is something for everyone. Essex Police Museum Essex Police HQ, Springfi eld, Chelmsford. 01245 457150. www.essex.police.uk/museums musem@essex.pnn.police.uk Open Weds 1pm - 4.30pm or by appointment weekdays and evenings and the fi rst Saturday each month 10.30am – 3pm. The museum makes a point of encouraging children’s visits with activities and a collection of police equipment that they can handle. The history of the county’s force is charted from its foundation in 1840 to the present, and there is an extensive collection of equipment along with archives of personnel, police history and criminal activity in Essex. Maldon District Agricultural & Domestic Museum Church Street, Goldhanger. 01621 788647. Open by appointment. Large collection of vintage farm machinery and domestic bygones including mangles, 1860 washing machine, irons, old stoves and cookers, road signs from Maldon ironworks and tools manufactured locally. There is also a collection of photographs, wirelesses and old clocks. Museum of Power Hatfi eld Road, Langford near Maldon CM9 6QA. 01621 843183. The Museum of Power is housed in a former water pumping station set in attractive riverside grounds. The museum features a gigantic pumping engine which can be seen in steam at special events. Varied exhibits and interactive displays will fascinate all ages and there’s an attractive tearoom with a range of cakes and sandwiches. Open from 10am Wednesday to Sunday throughout the summer and children under 16 are admitted free. A miniature steam railway operates on the fi rst Sunday of each month. Entry to the grounds and tearoom is free while entry to the museum is £4.50 for adults and £4 for seniors. Visit www.museumofpower.org.uk for details of special events and steam days. Maldon Museum ‘The Museum in the Park’ 47 Mill Road, Maldon. 01621 842688. Housed in an Edwardian building, formerly the Park Keeper’s Lodge and is situated in Promenade Park next to the main gates. The displays relate to specifi c periods – for example, one room is dedicated to the 1940’s with artefacts that portray life during the Second World War, another is a Victorian kitchen containing articles which were used at that time. A Victorian parlour displays a baby’s pram, Victorian clothing and a collection of skates, some of which may well have been worn when the park lake or local rivers were frozen. Upstairs the children’s room has a model of a teacher wielding a cane. Younger visitors and school parties are very surprised to know that his cane was actually used for punishment. On the top landing there is a room dedicated to John Sadd. This room holds a great deal of interest for visitors, as many of them or their families worked for this large industrial company. There are many silver cups which were awarded for various activities among the employees. Also on this landing is a replica of Edward Bright’s waistcoat. He was known as the “Fat Man of Maldon”. At his death at the age of 29 years he weighed 42 stone. The fame of the waistcoat is related to a wager that “700 men” could not fi t into the coat. If you wish to fi nd out more about Edward Bright please visit the museum! The fi nal room displays items relating to Bentalls, another local manufacturer. Maldon Lake is also featured, as many local residents learned to swim there and it was a popular day out for Victorian and Edwardian families. The museum is open from April to October, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday afternoons 2pm - 5pm. Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays open 11am - 5pm. Entrance is £2 per adult and 50p for children aged 5 to 15 years. For editorial call 01206 386666 or email editor@estuarylife.co.uk | Design/Web enquiries to designdesk@estuarylife.co.uk 31