Braintree District Museum

Braintree District Museum Braintree District Museum presents the timeline of an important market town and its surroundings.
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Museum Admission
Adult: £5.00
Concessions: £4.00
Children: £3.00 (under 5's free)

At Braintree District Museum the story of the District and its diverse industrial and commercial history unfolds. The Main Galleries examine the development of the area from prehistory to the twenty-first century, focusing upon the textile and manufacturing industries of Courtaulds, Warners and Crittalls, as well as

displays of Castle Hedingham pottery, the work of the Great Bardfield artists and Essex straw and lace. A vibrant calendar of temporary exhibitions complements the Main Galleries throughout the year. The Museum is housed in the converted Victorian Manor Street Junior and Infant Schools that were built in 1862 and 1897 respectively. The main building is home to the Museum Reception and Shop; Temporary Exhibition Gallery; Main Galleries and Victorian Schoolroom. Braintree Museum offers a wide variety of themed activities, exhibitions and school resources throughout the year, and the characterful Museum Shop is a unique retail outlet to the town.

The Fifa World Cup is now in full swing and England play their first match this evening 😬🥳⚽A great opportunity to remind...
17/06/2026

The Fifa World Cup is now in full swing and England play their first match this evening 😬🥳⚽

A great opportunity to remind you of our upcoming exhibition:

Football! A Local History of the Beautiful Game
18 July - 24 December 2026

Featuring and amazing overview of the history of football in Braintree and how Braintree FC came to be.
Fascinating artefacts from programmes to shirts and historic photos to extraordinary stories.
A must see for anyone interested in local history and the game itself.

A great time out for the family too as it will have lots of interactive activities and football games.

Only 13 days left to see the Art Deco and Beyond exhibition!Explore what Braintree was like and the impact its industrie...
11/06/2026

Only 13 days left to see the Art Deco and Beyond exhibition!

Explore what Braintree was like and the impact its industries made during the 1920s and 1930s.
Colourful, interactive and full of fascinating objects and stories.

[pictured: hand-block printed linen dress coat by Joyce Clissold, c.1925-1930, exhibition displays, exhibition poster]

Here is another picture of Braintree Carnival from 1924A decorated vehicle stood on Manor StreetHappy Carnival day! Expl...
06/06/2026

Here is another picture of Braintree Carnival from 1924
A decorated vehicle stood on Manor Street

Happy Carnival day!

Explore more about what Braintree was like during the 1920s and 30s in our exhibition Art Deco and Beyond. Closing soon! Last day is Saturday 27th June

It is Braintree Carnival time! Pictured are a couple of Braintree Carnival floats stood along Manor Street in 1924Explor...
06/06/2026

It is Braintree Carnival time!

Pictured are a couple of Braintree Carnival floats stood along Manor Street in 1924

Explore more about what Braintree was like during the 1920s and 30s in our exhibition Art Deco and Beyond. Closing soon! Last day is Saturday 27th June

A group picture of school boys' football team posed in playground of Bocking Church Street School in 1921. Did you know ...
27/05/2026

A group picture of school boys' football team posed in playground of Bocking Church Street School in 1921.

Did you know that Braintree & Bocking F.C. was the first official football club in the town dating back to 1866?!

Our Football! A Local History of the Beautiful Game opens 18th July. Come and explore more fascinating facts and object.

LAST CHANCE!Final chance to go behind the scenes of the hugely popular Art Deco and Beyond exhibition which finishes end...
26/05/2026

LAST CHANCE!
Final chance to go behind the scenes of the hugely popular Art Deco and Beyond exhibition which finishes end of June.

Tickets still available for the 10.30am and 2pm slots of the Art Deco & Beyond Behind the Scenes Tour on 6th June, enhancing the current exhibition.

It is an amazing chance to see textiles which have never been on display before at the Warner Textile Archive, and will give you a clearer picture of just how much experimentation was happening in terms of design and industry in the 1920s and 1930s in Braintree and beyond. Tickets include entry to Art Deco & Beyond exhibition at the Museum.

A reminder that all tours start at Braintree Museum

Get your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.com/braintree-museum
Read more about Art Deco here: https://warnertextilearchive.co.uk/exhibition-at-braintree-museum-art-deco-beyond/

Pictured:
Jazz Rose, block-printed silk, manufactured in 1930 from an earlier block designed by Arthur Griffiths c.1918-1928 (WS/5/3/105/37/WS283)
Tehran, also called Knaresborough, handwoven silk, designed by Bertrand Whittaker, 1926 (WS/5/1/9/4/W327g)

Our extremely popular Braintree Museum Holiday Club has a couple of spaces available on Thursday 28th May. (9am - 4pm)Th...
21/05/2026

Our extremely popular Braintree Museum Holiday Club has a couple of spaces available on Thursday 28th May. (9am - 4pm)

The theme of the day is Children's Choice!
We will be doing three crafts and four activities and the children get to pick which we do all day!

Spaces are free and must be booked in advance.
We only have a limited left so we will be working with a first come first serve policy.

To book please email: [email protected]

A photograph of the Sun Lido Swimming Pool from about 1938.The Lido stood along Rayne Road.In the picture you can see a ...
20/05/2026

A photograph of the Sun Lido Swimming Pool from about 1938.

The Lido stood along Rayne Road.

In the picture you can see a water fountain, a big slide and people sitting on deck chairs, these were provided by Crittall and Winterton.

Did you know that there were 200 changing cubicles? You can see them along the back of the picture.

Come and see what Braintree was like during the 1920s and 30s in our Exhibition Art Deco and Beyond. On till 27th June

Did you know that Crittalls set up the Silver End Development Company in 1926 that its employees could invest in to buil...
13/05/2026

Did you know that Crittalls set up the Silver End Development Company in 1926 that its employees could invest in to build the new model village?

The village had its own bus service that started in February of 1927.
The fleet initially consisted of six buses and transported the workers between the village and Braintree and Witham where the Crittalls works were.

This bus has an advertisement on it promoting living in Silver End.

Come and explore more about Silver End, 100 years old this year, in our Art Deco and Beyond exhibition. On till 27th June

Address

Manor Street
Braintree
CM73HW

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441376328868

Website

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