Great Dunmow Museum

About the museum

Great Dunmow Museum opened in 2001 and tells the story of the town and the countryside around it. It is run by the Great Dunmow Museum Society and stands in the town centre on Mill Lane.

The building is a small timber-framed maltings, and much of its fabric dates from the 16th century. Until the 1940s barley was spread and turned by hand here to make malt for the Dunmow Brewery. Items rescued from the Randall and Gibbons brewery, which was later demolished, recall the town’s brewing past.

The displays follow the social and economic development of Dunmow, from market town to railway town. Local clockmakers, a detailed model of the old railway station and two horse-drawn fire engines owned by the Town Council are among the permanent exhibits. The museum also keeps the memory of the Dunmow Flitch Trials, an old custom that is re-enacted every Leap Year, and shows wartime material including photographs and uniforms from the 386th Bomb Group of the US Army Air Forces.

Highlights

• Detailed model of the original Dunmow railway station with moving trains
• Two horse-drawn fire engines
• Clocks by local makers, including John Fordham
• Brewing artefacts from the Randall and Gibbons brewery
• Dunmow Flitch Trials history
• Hunt for twelve small glass pigs hidden in the display cases

Permanent exhibitions

• Dunmow railway station model – A detailed model of the original Dunmow station and its surroundings, with moving trains.
• Horse-drawn fire engines – Two old horse-drawn fire engines belonging to the Town Council are permanently on show.
• Brewing, clocks and wartime memories – Brewery artefacts, clocks by local makers such as John Fordham, and wartime photographs and uniforms from the 386th Bomb Group.

Founded

2001

Operated by

Great Dunmow Museum Society

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free; donations are welcome.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum describes itself as offering easy access for all; no further details are published.

Kids & families

The mascot is a pig called Persephone, and twelve small glass pigs are hidden in the display cabinets for visitors to find.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the town centre on Mill Lane in Great Dunmow, between Bishop’s Stortford and Chelmsford and close to Stansted Airport and the M11.

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