Britain’s regional museums & galleries – East of England
Stockwood Park Museum
Located in beautiful parkland, Stockwood Park Museum displays rural crafts and trade to give you a flavour of life in Bedfordshire before the age of the machine. Stockwood is also home to the Mossman collection of horse-drawn vehicles with over 50 vehicles illustrating road transport from Roman times through to the 1930s. You can also enjoy the period gardens which are inspired by 9 centuries of gardening including an Elizabethan Knot Garden, and Victorian Cottage Gardens.
Museum of Zoology (Cambridge)
In the academic world of Cambridge, visit the Museum of Zoology (www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/museum/) which houses extensive collections, dating back to the early 1800s. They also include scientifically important zoological material from the work of Charles Darwin to name but one, and this working museum has been designated as being of outstanding national and international significance.
Essex Police Museum
The unusual Essex Police Museum (www.essex.police.uk/offbeat/o_mu_01.php) was established in 1991 and contains records, documents and items of historic police interest. Based at Police Headquarters in Springfield, Chelmsford, it holds archival material relating to the history of the force from 1840. In addition the museum holds details of murder cases, especially those from the last century.
Cambridge & County Folk Museum
Step inside the doors of the ancient White Horse Inn at the Cambridge & County Folk Museum, and drink in the past! The collections in this recently refurbished museum date from 1600 and are displayed in a fine timber-framed building located in the most ancient part of Cambridge. The museum is the only local and social history museum in Cambridge and over 60 years of collecting has resulted in a rich and fascinating range of exhibits to enjoy.
Norwich Castle
One of the city's most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. Used as a prison from the 14th century, the castle became a museum in 1894. Now the county's main museum, the castle is packed with treasures to inspire and intrigue visitors of all ages.