Bay Museum
A volunteer-run military history museum on Canvey Island in a Cold War degaussing station, with First and Second World War displays and a research room.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Bay Museum is housed in the Old Degaussing Station on the seafront of Canvey Island. The building is a Cold War defence structure, planned and built in 1962 and 1963 after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Wire loops ran from the station into the Thames and were meant to detect whether passing ships were fitted with the protection against magnetic mines. The station was kept ready by the Ministry of Defence but was never used.
Today the building is a museum run by volunteers and registered as a charity. The top floor holds a First World War museum together with a research facility, where books and videos about the wars can be borrowed free of charge and a computer is available. The ground floor houses a Second World War museum that covers the wider conflict and its links with Canvey Island. There is also material about Canvey during the Cold War.
Volunteers can help visitors research the military history of their own families. The museum's website also publishes transcribed wartime records such as diaries, letters and casualty lists.
Highlights
- Cold War degaussing station building from 1962 to 1963
- First World War museum and research room on the top floor
- Second World War museum with links to Canvey Island
- Help with researching family military history
Permanent exhibitions
- First World War museum and research facility – Displays on the First World War on the top floor, together with a research room with books and videos on the wars that can be borrowed.
- Second World War museum – A museum on the ground floor about the Second World War and its connection with Canvey Island.
- Cold War on Canvey Island – Material on Canvey Island during the Cold War and on the degaussing station that houses the museum.
- Founded
- 2010
- Operated by
- The Bay Museum & Research Facility (registered charity no. 1204193)
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Volunteers are on hand to share their knowledge. The museum also organises coach and ferry day trips to battlefields in France and Belgium. |
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