📅 Friday 28 February 2025
🎉 Celebrating Southend City Day
To mark Southend City Day (Saturday 1 March), Southend-on-Sea City Council and Southend Museums are excited to unveil plans for a brand-new Collections Centre. This facility will house and showcase cherished historical collections from Southend and South Essex.
🗓 Opening in 2026, the new Collections Centre will be situated on the upper floors of the Beecroft Art Gallery, bringing our treasured artefacts closer to the community.
A Home for Over 30,000 Artefacts
The ambitious project includes:
✔️ Relocating over 30,000 historical items currently stored off-site.
✔️ Preserving significant artefacts like:
- A 19th-century hay wagon 🚜
- An early colour TV prototype from the EKCO factory 📺
- Sections of an original Roman well from Wickford 🏺
A More Accessible and Interactive Space
This transformation will enhance visitor access and include:
✅ Improved facilities for researchers, students, and artists.
✅ Guided tours of the storage areas.
✅ The museum’s first dedicated learning space and training workshop.
✅ Meeting rooms available for hire to support museum programmes and community events.
A Legacy for the Community
Councillor Matt Dent, Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism, and Business, shared his enthusiasm:
“This new Collections Centre isn’t just about storing our heritage; it’s about making sure these important artefacts are safe and available for everyone to see—a real gift for our community.
It also opens up exciting opportunities to generate income, similar to our plans for Southchurch Hall, for which we recently secured substantial funding to safeguard it for future generations. Announcing this close to City Day truly celebrates our heritage and builds civic pride across our community. I wish the Southend Museums team the best as they move into this new chapter.”
Stay Updated on the Move!
📲 Follow Southend Museums for progress updates:
- Instagram | Facebook | X – @southendmuseums and @beecroftartgallery