Maldon Museum in the Park

The Maldon Museum in the Park has a long and rich history

The museum was established in 1922 as ‘Maldon Borough Museum’ and set up premises in a room upstairs on the site of the original Maldon Fire Brigade on London Road, almost opposite The Old Court House. There is now a newer fire station on Spital Road just past West Station Yard heading towards Danbury and Chelmsford.

In 1938 when the second London Road fire station was built, the museum collection was briefly moved into buildings owned by Maldon Borough Council on the High Street.

In 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the collection was put into storage in a shed next to the Maldon Borough Council offices on Market Hill (which is now the Hill House development) however many original items were lost or damaged beyond repair.

Sometime after, Market Hill resident Mrs Cath Backus discovered the remains and began re-building the collection. She formed the ‘Maldon District Museum Association’ with a group of like minded people.

In 1968 the association installed the remnants in some rooms above a shop named Mathews in the High Street (next to the Swan Hotel). The museum remained at this location under the direction of Mrs Backus and began to grow in size and relevance to the town. The space, however, was becoming limited so the museum moved to new premises in the Spindles building on Church Walk, behind where the Oak House is now, around 1990.

In 1996 the Park-keeper’s Lodge at the main gates of the Promenade Park on Mill Road became vacant and Maldon District Council (the current local authority, succeeding Maldon Borough Council) consented to the association setting up the museum in the house which was built in 1915, as Promenade Lodge, from a bequest by Colonel Thomas Cramphorn, six times Mayor of Chelmsford and a notable philanthropist.

The District Council maintains the building but the Museum, run entirely by unpaid volunteers, pays all other expenses by raising money from visitor donations, specific grants and occasional fund-raising events.

The Museum changed its charity status from the old Maldon District Museum Association to the new Maldon Museum in the Park in our pursuit for full accreditation. We are a registered charity, number 1185595.

Maldon Museum in the Park is governed by a board of Trustees. The day-to-day running of the Museum is conducted by a Management Committee who, like all of our front of house Stewards, donate their time to maintain the running and existance of one of Maldon's local cultural landmarks. Everyone associated with the running of the Museum, from the Trustees to the Stewards is an unpaid volunteer.

In 2022 we celebrated our 100th birthday!!

Maldon Museum in the Park is run entirely by a dedicated team of unpaid volunteers who commit their time freely to the running of the museum in the name of preserving the history and heritage of Maldon and the wider District by telling stories about the people and places through the artefacts on display for future generations.

Maldon Museum in the Park is a museum charity that is overseen by an unpaid board of Trustees.