Museum of Chelmsford

The Museum of Chelmsford stands in Oaklands House, a Grade II listed building off Moulsham Street. Charles Pertwee designed the house for Frederick Wells, a director of the Chelmsford Brewery, and it was completed by 1865. The house features an elaborate campanile and served as a hospital during the First World War. Since 1930 it has housed the museum, which now occupies a £5 million extension opened in 2010. The museum is a local history and industrial heritage site. Exhibits focus on engineering pioneers such as R.E.B. Crompton, Guglielmo Marconi, and Hoffmann Ball Bearings. It traces the town’s development from prehistory to modern times. The fine art collection includes works by Alfred Bennett Bamford, Doris Boulton-Maude, and Richard Spare. Pottery on display ranges from Castle Hedingham ware to pieces by Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry. The house also contains the Museum of the Essex Regiment and the Essex Yeomanry. Notable items include a French Imperial Eagle captured at the Battle of Salamanca in 1812. Another highlight is The Last Stand of the 44th Regiment at Gundamuck, a painting by William Barnes Wollen. The Essex Regiment collection will soon move to IWM Duxford to merge with the Royal Anglian Regiment collection.