Braintree District Museum |
Museum Collections
The Museum started when the collection of a local clerk and historian, Alfred Hills and the Courtauld family were displayed within Braintree Town Hall after it opened in 1928. After a succession of different homes for the collection, Braintree District Museum opened in the former Manor Street Infant and Junior Schools on 6 October 1993.
The lives of the early people of Braintree District are shown through the Museum’s archaeology collections. They range from Stone Age flint handaxes to eighteenth century trade tokens. Extensive archaeology archives are held from the Roman town of Braintree and Medieval Cressing Temple.
The Museum holds collections of the textile industry that dominated the District, including the nineteenth and twentieth century companies of Courtaulds and Warners. In addition there is a good collection from the Crittall Manufacturing Company who continue to make metal windows in Braintree.
As well as a diverse collection of ceramics collected by the Courtauld family, the Museum hold a distinctive group of Castle Hedingham pottery designed by Edward Bingham. There is also a selection of works by the Great Bardfield artists.
The everyday lives of people in the District over the last 200 years are covered in the photography, local and social history collections.
The collections of Braintree District Museum are looked after by a team of staff and volunteers that provide:
- Care, management and interpretation of the collections
- An enquiry and identification service
- Advice and assistance to the other museums and heritage centres in the District.
Any enquiries should be sent to:
Robert Rose, Museum Services Manager, robert.rose@braintree.gov.uk (archaeology, acquisitions, identifications, policy, voluntary work)
Andrew Gladwell, Collections and Heritage Officer, andrew.gladwell@braintree.gov.uk (all other collection and local history enquiries including photographs)
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