Thurrock Museum
Free local history museum on the first floor of the Thameside Complex in Grays, with finds from 250,000 years of Thurrock’s past.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
A museum has existed in Grays since the early 1900s. Before the Thameside Complex was built in the 1970s, local history displays were housed in the Carnegie Free Library. Today the museum is on the first floor of the Thameside Complex on Orsett Road, run by Thurrock Council with the help of volunteers who also organise events and exhibitions on local history.
The displays cover more than 250,000 years of the area’s past and show over 1,500 objects. The archaeology collection ranges from prehistoric flint tools to Roman pottery and Anglo-Saxon finds, including original and replica pieces of national importance from Mucking. Other displays show agricultural, industrial and maritime objects that illustrate everyday life in Thurrock from the medieval period to the present. The photograph collection holds more than 10,000 images of people, places and events.
Highlights include the bones of mammoths found at Aveley, the Potins, about 2,000 bronze coins of the first century BC, and the melted bell of the Tilbury Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1944. The museum also offers school sessions in the museum and in classrooms, and loan boxes for schools. It is not currently accepting new donations because of limited space, and a digital catalogue of the collection is being compiled.
Highlights
- Mammoth remains from Aveley
- The Potins, about 2,000 bronze coins from the 1st century BC
- Anglo-Saxon finds from Mucking
- Melted bell from the Tilbury Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1944
- Archive of more than 10,000 local photographs
Permanent exhibition
- Thurrock through 250,000 years – More than 1,500 objects show the area’s past from the Ice Age through the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods to the last century.
- Operated by
- Thurrock Council
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- 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 entrance is on the first floor and is reached by a lift (door width 90 cm, with visual and audible floor announcements). Staff do not need to be told in advance to use the lift.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Grays station · 5-min walk
Grays railway station (c2c line): walk along the pedestrianised High Street and turn right into Orsett Road; the museum is about 200 metres on the left. Grays bus station is opposite the railway station, about a five-minute walk from the Thameside Complex.
By car
Parking available
Car park behind the Thameside Complex on Cromwell Road (RM17 5HF), free after 6 pm; on-street parking nearby is free after 6 pm (check street signs); the Morrisons pay-and-display car park (RM17 5YF) is about a five-minute walk.
Grays is about 5 miles from the Dartford Tunnel and is signposted from the A13 (M25 junction 30).
Get directionsAmenities & 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
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | School sessions: “Day in the Life of a Curator” in the museum (whole day £156, half day £78, one class of up to 32 pupils) and “Battle of Britain” in the classroom (same prices). Loan boxes cost £20.80 per box per half term. |
