Southend Central Museum
 Central Museum, Southend | |
| Location | Southend-on-Sea, Essex |
|---|---|
| Type | Local history |
| Website | http://www.southendmuseums.co.uk/ |
The Central Museum is a museum in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The museum houses collections of local and natural history and contains a planetarium constructed by astronomer Harry Ford in 1984.[1]
The museum was opened in April 1981 in a Grade II listed building that was previously Southend's first free public library. The library service had moved to a new purpose built site on Victoria Avenue, which opened on 20 March 1974.[2]
The building
The Museum was originally built in 1905 as a free library, with £8000 of funding from Andrew Carnegie. The architect was Henry Thomas Hare.[3]
The collections
The Museum features a collection of original Ekco radios, manufactured by E.K. Cole & Co. Ltd. (or 'Ekco') formerly based in Southend. In the 1930s, this company was one of Britain's largest radio manufacturers.
The displays also include local and natural history and archaeology.[4]
Additional photographs
Collection of Ekco radios on show at the Central Museum
Butterflies from the reserve natural history collections of Southend Museums Service
References
- ↑ Visit Southend Museums (leaflet). Southend on Sea: Southend Museums Service.
- ↑ "History of Libraries in Southend". Southend on Sea Borough Council. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ↑ English Heritage. "British Listed Buildings (Public Library, Southend)". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
- ↑ "Southend Museum Service (Central Museum)". Southend Museum Service. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
External links
Coordinates: 51°32′32″N 0°42′38″E / 51.5422°N 0.7106°E