Museum in the Park: Maldon

We set off in the rain, but by the time we arrived in Maldon for the 13th CAMRA Maldon Beer Festival, the sun was shining. We made our visit to the festival and then went on to the Carpenters Arms. You can read about the festival, the pub and the beers at Essex Real Ale

Whilst we were in Maldon we also took the opportunity to visit the Maldon Museum. The museum is housed in a 1930’s detached house at the entrance to Maldon Promenade Park. I found it fascinating – I love visiting small local museums that give a flavour of the history of a town or village. The museum’s full of objects telling the social history of the town over the last couple of centuries.

There are a number of room sets, my favourite was the 2nd World War one – complete with someone’s very paltry food ration for a week, and some beautiful 1930’s china. There was an Edwardian living room – with some William Morris wallpaper that I rather coveted and a Victorian schoolroom. (nb pictures below)

As we went up the stairs we were confronted by the Fat Man of Maldon’s jacket. Edward Bright was a grocer in Maldon in the nineteenth century, reputed to be the fattest man in England. Nowadays he’d probably be on the TV show “Obese – a Year to Save My Life”.

The collection continues in what should probably be the bedrooms, with a number of different displays, including all the tools and equipment from a Maldon carpenter’s shop owned by the Studd family which closed in 1969.

It’s only a small museum, but it’s well worth searching out on a trip to Maldon. And after a visit you could do as we did and take a stroll in the sunshine along the promenade, and admire the beautiful Thames barges that were on the water front. If you’ve got children, there’s plenty for them to do in the park, so give them a bit of intellectual stimulation and a bit of exercise on an afternoon out!