Kent Police Museum

About the museum

The Kent Police Museum tells the story of the county’s police force, which began in 1857 as the Kent County Constabulary. Its collection also covers fourteen earlier borough and city forces that were merged into the county force by 1943. The museum first opened to the public in the early 1970s at force headquarters in Maidstone, closed in 1992 because of lack of space and reopened in 1994 in an old boiler house at Chatham Historic Dockyard. It moved back to Maidstone in 2015 and has been at Faversham since December 2016.

Its home is Faversham Police Station, an operational Edwardian police station on Church Road. Visitors enter the main gallery through the front counter reception area. The displays follow four periods: Victorian (1837 to 1901), Edwardian (1901 to 1914), the World Wars (1914 to 1945) and the post-war years. They include uniforms, equipment, medals, photographs, charge books and evidence from Kent criminal cases.

There is a crime room, an Edwardian cell block where visitors hear about nineteenth-century crimes in Faversham, interactive displays and a handling collection that includes a police motorcycle. Visitors can try on real police uniform. Admission is free and the museum is run with the help of volunteers.

Highlights

• Edwardian cell block with stories of nineteenth-century crime in Faversham
• Crime room with evidence from Kent criminal cases
• Chance to try on real police uniform
• Handling collection, including a police motorcycle
• Displays from Victorian times to the post-war years

Permanent exhibition

• Policing in Kent – Displays on Kent policing in four periods, from Victorian times to the post-war years, with a crime room, an Edwardian cell block and a handling collection.

Founded

1957

Operated by

Kent Police

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• 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 is listed as accessible to wheelchair users.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations

The museum describes itself as a free educational and fun experience for the whole family, with police uniform to try on, interactive displays and a handling collection.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Faversham Police Station on Church Road.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available

There are toilets on site, but no café or refreshments.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit