Galleries and Museums

A visit to one of Colchester's fantastic galleries or museums is a great way to start exploring the city, whether you discover the distant past in Colchester Castle Museum or prefer cutting-edge contemporary art in Firstsite you'll find something for all tastes in the city centre, with no less than five significant museums and galleries within two minutes walk of each other.

Further afield in Colchester's historic coast and countryside, you'll discover many smaller museums - from the Mersea Island Museum, exploring the island's heritage, to the Nottage Museum in Wivenhoe, the Tiptree Jam Museum at Wilkins & Sons' factory and even the tiny Boxted Airfield Museum that only opens a few days a year.

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Explore Colchester's Museums and Galleries

Colchester Castle Museum

Colchester Castle is the largest Norman Keep in Europe and houses the town's main museum
1. 1 Jan 202431 Dec 2024
Firstsite

Firstsite is Colchester's contemporary art gallery.
Exhibitions

Find out what exhibitions are currently on in Colchester, and what's coming up in the near future
Hollytrees Museum

An important part of Colchester's rich history with three centuries of fascinating toys, costume, clocks and decorative arts displayed in an attractive Georgian town house from 1718.
1. 1 Jan 202431 Dec 2024
Natural History Museum

Get up close to nature as you discover an interesting perspective on the local natural environment from the Ice Age right up to today.Explore the garden trail and stag beetle exhibition.
1. 1 Jan 202431 Dec 2024

Number of results: 28

, currently showing 21 to 28.

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Harwich Museum

Address

Harwich Museum, Anglia House, Main Road, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3FN

Telephone
01255 317330

contact@harwichmuseum.co.uk

Main Road, Harwich

A local history museum in the historic port of Harwich
Nottage Maritime Institute

Address

Nottage Institute, Wivenhoe, Essex

Telephone
01206 824142

admin@nottage.org.uk

Wivenhoe

A registered charity specialising in teaching RYA Shorebased Courses and other unique nautical courses. The Nottage also houses a maritime museum with a collection of paintings, photographs and models.
The Sentinel Gallery

Address

Chapel Road, Wivenhoe, Colchester, CO7 9DX

Telephone
07769945793

info@thesentinelgallery.co.uk

Wivenhoe

A newly opened art gallery, located in the heart of Wivenhoe. Hosting regularly changing exhibitions of local artists of 2D and 3D, alongside Pru Green's own pottery workshop is a ceramic room of her pots and others with jewellery.
Birch Gallery

Address

Birch Gallery Tearoom, Fujita, 2 Birch Street, Colchester, Essex, CO2 0NF

Telephone
01206 331363

fineart.johnharrison@btinternet.com

Colchester

Art gallery displaying fine detail watercolours by John Harrison, Originals high quailty prints and greeting cards for sale. Tea room providing teas speciality, coffees, lunches, snacks and cream teas. Closed on Mon & Tues.
Kentwell Hall and Gardens

Address

Long Melford, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 9BA

Telephone
01787 310207

enquiries@kentwell.co.uk

Sudbury

Kentwell Hall in Long Melford, is Suffolk’s hidden gem and one of England’s finest Tudor houses that stands within the most extensive moat in the county and over 30 acres of gardens and ground. Kentwell offer a yearly calendar of events.
Mistley Quay Workshops

Address

Mistley Quay Workshops, Mistley, Manningtree, Essex, CO11 1HB

Telephone
07815 013872

mlizcooper@btinternet.com

Manningtree

Arts and Crafts workshop with exhibitions. Cafe with home cooked food, cakes, coffee and licensed for alcohol.
Earls Colne Heritage Museum

Address

1 Reuben Walk, Earls Colne, Colchester, Essex, CO6 2SZ

Telephone
01787 223032

yta66@lineone.net

Colchester

Heritage museum detailing the history of Earls Colne since Neolithic times. Temporary exhibitions are regularly mounted relating to a particular aspect of the village & its inhabitants. Complementary slide shows run during open hours.
Chappel Galleries

Address

15 Colchester Road, Chappel, Essex, CO6 2DE

Telephone
01206 240326

info@chappelgalleries.co.uk

Chappel

Set in the village of Chappel, in the picturesque Colne Valley, over looking the impressive Victorian Chappel Viaduct, Chappel Galleries hosts changing art exhibitions by professional artists, many with national reputations.