The museum tells the story of the history of the police in Essex from the Victorians to modern day. It was set up as a charity in 1992 to provide a home for the historical items belonging to Essex Police. We now have over 25,000 items in the collection consisting of objects, photos and paper documents.
Our aim is to preserve the history of Essex Police and expand public knowledge and awareness of the history of our police force by collecting, preserving, and displaying material relevant to the history of Essex Police.
What can be found at the venue?
Records or archive, Collection of artifacts
Related crime and punishment profession / organisation
Police
Significant collections relating to regional crime and punishment organisation or to a particular individual
The shoes of Camille Holland, murdered for her money in 1898; the death mask of Frederick Browne who murdered PC Gutteridge in 1927; a classic 1960s Noddy Bike; also a large collection of service records or information files for officers dating back to 1840.
Does the venue have an online collections catalogue?
Details of opening for public access and / or research services
The museum is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am-4pm. Admission is free.
Research services: All information is subject to strict rules on use and release. In some cases, particularly for recent records or records of officers still living, we may ask you to provide evidence of your relationship to or permission from the individual you are enquiring about. To request a record of service please email us with as much information as possible. We will then check to see if we have the record and ensure the appropriate permissions are in place to release it. We will then invoice you for the purchase and email over a PDF copy once the payment is received. All costs will be agreed with you prior to invoicing. There is a £20 fee to purchase a PDF service record copy which contributes to our storage and conservation costs. Where an officer has worked across different forces within Essex, such as with Essex County Constabulary and Southend-On-Sea Borough Police, they may have multiple service records. All charges will be agreed with you prior to invoicing.
Available services or facilities
Shop, Visitor parking
Accessibility and disability arrangements / Covid requirements
Free parking is available in the museum bay or the Orchard Car Park on Saturdays only.
