Mersea Museum - Events

Events

This page gives details of Mersea Museum future events and activities and also gives details of some past events.
Events take place in Mersea Museum unless stated otherwise.
See Past Events for the ones you may have missed.
Links to other sites will open in a new window.

Wednesday 30th April 2025	Summer Exhibition opens See Exhibitions " for more details
Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th July 2025	Mersea Island Stitchers An exhibition of the work of a local group who get together to make quilts, soft toys, bags, cussions, or whatever else takes their fancy. 10am to 5pm Saturday 2pm to 5pm Sunday
Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th August 2025	Mersea Island Photographic Society Exhibition of photographs in the Resource Centre. 10am to 5pm Saturday 2pm to 5pm Sunday and Monday Normal admission charges
Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September 2025 10am to 4pm	Heritage Open Days - Mersea Barrow. Special weekend opening of Mersea Barrow for Heritage Open Days. As you come on to Mersea Island, take the left turn to East Mersea. The Barrow is on the left after about half a mile and 100 yards beyond Dawes Lane. There is parking on the left just beyond the Barrow at Barrow Barn. For SatNav, use postcode CO5 8SL. Free entry. No need to book - just come. The entrance passageway is narrow and not suitable for disabled access. There are no toilet facilities at the barrow ! Link to Google maps (opens in a new window.) For more information see West Mersea Barrow.

Monday 6th October 2025	The Mystic East (of England) An examination of the History of East Anglia With John Pullen-Appleby. 10 weekly courses starting today 7pm to 9.30pm. £60 with £10 discount for concessions and Museum Members For payment please contact info@merseamuseum.org.uk
Monday 6th October 2025	A Short History of Essex A rerun of last year's popular course, now in the morning With John Pullen-Appleby. 10 weekly courses starting today 10am to 12.30pm. £60 with £10 discount for concessions and Museum Members For payment please contact info@merseamuseum.org.uk
Tuesday 14th October 2025	Essex Heritage Workboats - Mersea Hub Project Four fortnightly workshops continued from those earlier in the year... 1030am to 1230pm All welcome - refreshments available. More information to follow...

Below are some of our Past Events - the most recent are first

Tuesday 29th April 2025	Preview Evening and Mersea Island Museum Trust Annual General Meeting 7.30pm. Free Admission.
Friday 21st March 2025	The Siege of Colchester Illustrated talk by John Pullen-Appleby 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Tuesday 18th March 2025	Essex Heritage Workboats - Mersea Hub Project Round up of information shared in the past weeks... 1030am to 1230pm All welcome - refreshments available. For more details and the programme, go to EHWB Mersea Hub Project
Tuesday 4th March 2025	Essex Heritage Workboats - Mersea Hub Project Vessels that have made Mersea their home today and how they have moved from their original purpose. 1030am to 1230pm All welcome - refreshments available. For more details and the programme, go to EHWB Mersea Hub Project
Friday 21st February 2025	The Rise and Fall of the Colchester Bay Trade c.1565-1835 Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Tuesday 21st January 2025	Essex Heritage Workboats - Mersea Hub Project Boats built on the Island Oyster Skiffs MERSEA NATIVE, SILVER SPRAY, SPRAY, GOLDEN CHANCE Winkle Brigs INO, LIZZIE 1030am to 1230pm All welcome - refreshments available. For more details and the programme, go to EHWB Mersea Hub Project
Friday 17th January 2025	The Stories behind the Documents By Trevor Hearn and Elaine Barker Mersea Archive Research Group work transcribing documents from Mersea and the surrounding area. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Tuesday 7th January 2025	Essex Heritage Workboats - Mersea Hub Project Introduction 1030am to 1230pm All welcome - refreshments available. For more details and the programme, go to EHWB Mersea Hub Project
Friday 29th November 2024	Oyster Land - a film about Mersea by Matthew Harrison 7.30pm - admission £5 at the door. Refreshments available.
Friday 15th November 2024	An Historical Film Presentation from the Colchester Film Makers' Archives, by Andy Merz 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members, including refreshments.
Friday 18th October 2024	Boudicca and the Buried Treasure Illustrated talk by Adam Wightman Colchester Archaeological Trust 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Monday 7th October 2024	A Short History of Essex and A History of the Blackwater Estuary Two of John Pullen-Appleby's popular courses start today and run for 10 weeks. More Details, see History Courses
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September 2024 10am to 4pm	Heritage Open Days - Mersea Barrow. Special weekend opening of Mersea Barrow for Heritage Open Days. As you come on to Mersea Island, take the left turn to East Mersea. The Barrow is on the left after about half a mile and 100 yards beyond Dawes Lane. There is parking on the left just beyond the Barrow at Barrow Barn. For SatNav, use postcode CO5 8SL. Free entry. No need to book - just come. The entrance passageway is narrow and not suitable for disabled access. There are no toilet facilities at the barrow ! Link to Google maps (opens in a new window.) For more information see West Mersea Barrow.
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th August 2024	Rags to Riches by Jan Mitson An exhibition of textile work using recycled materials to create beautiful pictures. A selection of some of the many pieces that make up Jan's life's work. 10am to 5pm Saturday 2pm to 5pm Sunday
Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th August 2024	Transoms The flat stern of historic boats bearing their name, plus the stories behind them. 10am to 5pm Saturday 2pm to 5pm Sunday
Saturday 20th July 2024	'Bring Your Finds Day' Have you found anything interesting on the beach, in your garden, or out on a walk? Fossils, pottery, coins, bones, stones etc. Bring it to the Museum and we will try to identifiy it for you. 10am to 5pm.
Tuesday 30th April 2024	Preview Evening and Mersea Island Museum Trust Annual General Meeting 7.30pm. Free Admission.
Friday 15th March 2024	The Fishing Industry in Mersea 1960 to the Present Illustrated talk by Nick French 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 16th February 2024	Colchester at War: Life on the Home Front 1939-45 Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 19th January 2024	Mersea Island on film: when the eelgrass left Illustrated talk by Tim Tokley The talk will centre on a film screening and presentation of selected artworks, reflecting the island's modern history, grounded in ecological and anthropological inquiry, employing voices of the Island's history and reflections on the changing landscape of Mersea Island. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 17th November 2023	A Sailor's Life: the men and women of Nelson's navy Illustrated talk by Philip Lyons, about the lives of the sailors from Colchester and elsewhere who manned (and womanned!) Nelson's navy. Discover the pleasure and the pain, the discomfort and debauchery of life at sea in the 19th century. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Wednesday 25th October 2023	Mersea Tendles Workshop 11am to 1pm First of four workshops held in Mersea Museum by Essex Heritage Workboats to discuss and make tendles. A tendle is the traditional Mersea oyster basket made from elm. Workshops are free and all are wecome - just turn up, or for more information Contact the Museum Info@MerseaMuseum.org.uk
Friday 20th October 2023	Brierley Paddocks Archaeology with Callum Allsopp Illustrated talk. Callum was lead archaeologist on the team that worked on the site before building took place, and tells us what was found. The site is now known as Sanderling Reach, off East Road, West Mersea. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Monday 9th October 2023 10am to 12.30pm	The History of Mersea From the Stone Age to the Space Age A 10 week course on successive Mondays from 9th October For more details, see History Courses
Monday 9th October 2023 7pm to 9.30pm	A History of the Blackwater Estuary An historical survey of the communities surrounding the river estuary. A 10 week course on successive Mondays from 9th October For more details, see History Courses
Saturday 26th to Monday 28th August 2023	Mersea Island Photographic Society Exhibition of photographs in the Resource Centre. 10am to 5pm Saturday 2pm to 5pm Sunday and Monday Normal admission charges
Sunday 25th June, Wednesday 28th to Friday 30th June 2023 2pm - 5pm	The Deepenings Project - Art Exhibition This exhibition has been designed to celebrate and mark the end of “The Deepenings Project”. A multidisciplinary arts project that has delivered a new walking trail for Cudmore Grove that aims to re-enchant the changing environment here, and encourage people to be creative outdoors. The small exhibition is stuffed with the artefacts, artworks and collaborative endeavors of the Deepenings Project. There are also opportunities to add your own stories, drawings or anecdotes to the displayed works.
Tuesday 20th June 2023 3pm - 5pm	Speaking Mersea Come along to our celebratory event, to learn about and engage with the language and identity of Mersea folk. There will be visual displays exploring the words and phrases used in Mersea, the changes in Mersea speak throughout the years and the close ties between language use and an island identity. This event is being run in collaboration between researchers at the University of Essex and the Mersea Museum If you have any questions or want to find out more please contact Colin Reilly (University of Essex) colin.reilly@essex.ac.uk
Friday 17th March 2023	The Battle of Maldon 1991 - the re-enactment story" John Pullen-Appleby tells us about the re-enactment of the Battle of Maldon - 1,000 years after the real battle. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Wednesday 8th March 2023 14.00 - 16.30 or 18.30 - 20.00	Do you speak Mersea ? Come and join us in an interactive workshop exploring the ways people speak on Mersea. The workshops are being run by linguists at the University of Essex in collaboration with the Mersea Museum. We invite you to drop it at any time during the workshops to take part in various activities, sharing your thoughts about the words and phrases used by speakers on Mersea. We are interested in people of all ages, to see how the accent has changed in younger people who have grown up on the Island. We will use what we learn from the sessions to create an exhibition at the Museum focusing on Mersea dialects which will be open to the public in the Summer. We are also collecting Mersea words/phrases/sayings outside of the workshops so please click on the following link and add any contributions to the following online display: Do you speak Mersea? - Google Jamboard If you have any questions or want to find out more please contact Colin Reilly (University of Essex) colin.reilly@essex.ac.uk
Friday 17th February 2023	Essex Towns and Villages Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney Patrick is a well-known Colchester historian - his talks are entertaining and popular. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 20th January 2023	Mersea Island Seamen Oyster dredging, seamen, trading vessels, naval warfare, Press Gangs Illustrated talk by Sue Howlett 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 18th November 2022	The Battle of Maldon - talk by Steven Nunn 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 21st October 2022	East Meets West by Philip Lyons Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in East Anglia 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Monday 17th October 2022 7pm to 9.30pm	The History of Mersea From the Stone Age to the Space Age A 10 week course on successive Mondays from 3rd October This course has been very popular and is now full. It is hoped to run another one in the future ... For more details, see History Course
Saturday 23rd July 2022 to Sunday 14th August	St Stephen's Church, Great Wigborough Displays from the Parish Church recording the history of the church and village. Normal opening hours and admission charges
Saturday 11th June 2022	Food Museum touring Exhibition comes to Mersea East Anglian recipes, cooking, farming techniques, dialect words. Explore objects from Food Museum collection and listen to historic sound recordings. 10am to 5pm See foodmuseum.org.uk/foodstories for more information.
Saturday 30th April 2022	2022 Summer Exhibition open ... See Exhibitions for details.
Friday 3rd June 2022	Queen's Platinum Jubilee Street Festival Special Museum Opening Hours 10am to 5pm
Friday 29th April 2022	Preview Evening and Mersea Island Museum Trust Annual General Meeting 7.30pm. Free Admission.
Friday 18th March 2022	Illustrated talk by Chris Farndell on Essex Police Museum - famous murders, history and development of the police. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 18th February 2022	A Drone's Eye View - local archaeology from the air by James Pullen. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 21st January 2022	Making Sense of Old Documents - new information about hidden local history - old handwriting, the funding of the Strood and historic houses in Peldon ... by members of Mersea Archives Research Group (MARG) 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 12th November 2021	Medieval Mersea - Church and People Illustrated talk by Sue Howlett. Mersea Island Museum Trust 2020 Annual General Meeting and Mersea Island Museum Trust 2021 Annual General Meeting 7.30pm. Free Admission.
Friday 23rd July 2021	Finds Identification and Showcase Day Visiting experts to help you identify interesting items found locally. Pottery, coins, metal, bones, fossils etc. Dr Helen Chittock ACIfA Oliver Hutchinson and Danielle Newman from CITiZAN 11am to 5pm Admission free, all welcome More details from CITiZAN Events 23 July
Saturday 24th July 2021	Finds Showcase How to record your finds - see some of the intriguing finds from the beaches of Mersea. Oliver Hutchinson and Danielle Newman from CITiZAN and local CITiZAN volunteers 2pm to 5pm Admission free, all welcome More details from CITiZAN Events 24 July
Friday 21st February 2020	A transport of delight The history of public transport in Colchester Illustrated talk by Alan Skinner 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 17th January 2020	A Portrait of Victorian Colchester Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney
Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th November 2019	Art Show at Mersea Museum. All welcome. Saturday is also a Craft Day with stalls from local craftspeople Preview 7pm to 9pm on Thursday 21st Open Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November 10am to 5pm. Free Admission.
Friday 15th November 2019	The Life and Work of Thomas Hammond - photographer Illustrated talk by Clive Potter T. Hammond produced many high quality postcards, often around 1910. He lived in Great Totham, with many photographs of the area, including Mersea, Tollesbury and surrounding villages. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Tuesday 12th November 2019	Ask the Experts - bring in your finds. Meet the experts from CITiZAN who will help you with finds made on the island over the decades.
Friday 18th October 2019	Privateering and the Essex Coast Illustrated talk by Julian Foynes Facing the French ... 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments. Julian is a well known local historian who has published a number of books including "Battle of the East Coast (1939-45)".
Friday 2nd August to Sunday 11th August 2019	Oysters and Oilskins. Special exhibition of the clothing that Oystermen would have worn in the past, by Brightlingsea U3A, who researched and published the book "Oysters and Oilskins".
Saturday 13th July 2019	'Finds Day' Bring along anything interesting you have found on the seashore, in the garden, in the attic... Pottery, stones, bones, fossils, metal, coins etc. The museum is keen to see any old or unusual items and perhaps help to identify them. 10am to 5pm.
Saturday 15th June 10am to 5pm and Sunday 16th June 2pm to 5pm	Mini exhibition of paintings by local artist and oysterman Leslie French Leslie French 1904-1995 was a local oysterman and a self-taught artist. His style would be described as "primitive", but his watercolours have a unique charm and show boats, creeks or the sea in accurate detail.
29th to 31st March 2019	Spring Art Show. Wonderful paintings for all to enjoy. Preview evening on Thursday 28th. Open Friday 29th, Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st March at 10am. Free Admission.
Friday 15th March 2019	Medieval Colchester Illustrated talk by Sue Howlett. Mersea Island Museum Trust Annual General Meeting 7.30pm. Free Admission.
Friday 15th February 2019	Wind and Water - a brief history of milling Illustrated talk by Peter Jones 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 18th January 2019	Aspects of Iron Age and Roman Colchester Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney
Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th November 2018	Art Show at Mersea Museum. Preview 7pm to 9pm on Thursday 22nd Open Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th November 10am to 5pm. Free Admission. All are welcome to exhibit their art at the show - click Entry Form for more details (opens in a new window).
Friday 16th November 2018	The History of Greyfriars in Colchester Illustrated talk by Alan Skinner Alan was Principal of Greyfriars when it was an Adult Education Centre, but the history goes back a very long way. Before that, it had been home to part of Colchester County High School for Girls and then school for Mersea and other pupils before Monkwick School was ready. It is now a hotel. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 19th October 2018	The Martello Towers of Essex Illustrated talk by Peter Jones 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments. The Martello towers were coastal defences built during the Napoleonic wars to protect the south and east coast from invasion by the French. 73 towers were built on the south coast and 29 on the east coast between Brightlingsea and Aldeburgh. 11 of the towers were built in Essex.
Saturday 28th July 2018 10am - 5pm Sunday 29th 2pm - 5pm	Mini exhibition of vintage clothing, interesting and unusual textiles Victorian dresses, nightdresses, underwear, christening gowns...
Friday 16th March 2018	Religion and Revolution Mersea in the Seventeenth Century Illustrated talk by Sue Howlett.
Friday 16th February 2018	The 1945 steam tug BRENT at Maldon A talk by Janet Hall from the Steam Tug Brent Trust, who are working to restore the tug to working condition. 7.30pm. Admission £5 for non-members or £3 for members including refreshments.
Friday 19th January 2018	A Message from Colchester - the Golden Age of Picture Postcards Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney
Friday 17th November 2017	The Art and History of Stained Glass Illustrated talk by Christopher Parkinson
Saturday 28th October 2017	Autumn Fair Mersea Museum Autumn Fair, with a wide variety of stalls. General craft goods and gifts, Christmas cards and decorations. Refreshments and light snacks. Admission 50p.
Friday 20th October 2017	Essex Earthquakes Illustrated talk by Peter Jones
Friday 13th to Sunday 15th October 2017	Friends and Family Art Exhibition Paintings, prints, craft items Friday 12 to 4.30pm; Saturday 10am to 4.30pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm.
Saturdays to 30th September 2017	Guided History Walks in West Mersea. Tours start and finish at the Museum and take about 2 hours. Saturday afternoons at 2.30pm. £1.50 per person. Tickets available from the Museum on the day.
Friday 17th March 2017	Reformation to Revolution - the effect on Mersea Islanders of conflict and upheaval in Tudor times Illustrated talk by Sue Howlett.
Friday 17th February 2017	The Ground Beneath our Feet The Hidden Stories Beneath our Feet: a Tale of Deep Time, Ice, Floods, the Seaside - and an Island Buried Beneath Essex. Talk by geologists Ian Mercer and Ros Smith
Saturday Sunday Monday 4th-6th February 2017	Art Show - "Circling the Square" 10am to 4pm Free admission - most paintings for sale. Come in and enjoy.
Friday 20th January 2017	To Fetch a Pail of Water Illustrated talk by Patrick Denney
Friday 18th November 2016	The River Colne, from Source to Sea Illustrated talk by Alexander Bass
Friday 21st October 2016	The Pubs of Colchester Illustrated talk by Jess Jephcott
Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th September 2016	Exhibition of Peggy Fortnum's illustrations for Paddington Bear books In the Resource Centre - 2pm to 5pm.
Saturday 23rd July to Sunday 24th July 2016	Exhibition of Vintage Clothes In Resource Centre - women's, children's and babies' clothes, uniforms underwear and accessories, from Victorian times onwards. 2pm - 5pm.
Friday 8th July to Sunday 10th July 2016	Plaster Art Exhibition in Resource Centre by West Mersea School 2pm - 5pm.
Friday 18th March 2016	A Fisherman's Tale Talk by David Nicholls
Friday 11th March 2016	Zeppelins over Essex - including the 1916 Little Wigborough Zeppelin Illustrated talk by Peter Jones
Friday 19th February 2016	Church heraldry An illustrated talk by Martin Clarke
Friday 15th January 2016	Colchester voices: local history from oral sources An illustrated talk by Patrick Denney.
Friday 20th November 2015	Colchester from the eye of the Picture Postcard Illustrated talk by Jess Jephcott.
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July 2015 2pm to 5pm	Plaster Artwork exhibition in Resource Centre Planet Earth - a project by Mersea Island School Year Six.
Saturday 6th June 2015	Special All Day Opening 10am to 5pm Mini exhibition of tapestries, textiles and samplers.
Wednesday 4th March 2015	Oystermen's Clothing in the 1880s A special presentation of recreated clothing by Brightlingsea U3A in conjuction
Friday 20th February 2015	The Edge of Extinction Travels with enduring people in vanishing lands. An illustrated talk by Prof. Jules Pretty, based on his latest book. We are welcoming back Jules, who gave us a fascinating talk about the East Anglian Coast last year.