Nestled at the end of Colchester’s High Street, directly opposite Colchester Castle and set within the atmospheric fabric of a medieval church, the Natural History Museum in Colchester is a small but remarkably rich local museum. It tells a regional story, the story of north-east Essex’s landscapes, wildlife, geology and ancient climates using objects, specimens and displays that range from fossilised bones and Pleistocene remains to taxidermy, skeletons, interactive microslides and hands-on elements that invite children to touch, listen and explore. The Museum’s home, its purpose and its collections all reflect a long local relationship between people and place. I recently visited this space again recently while in the area, on the same morning that I visited Mythical Creatures, given the close proximity of the two. If you’ve visiting soon, maybe you should too!
One of the first things visitors notice is the building: the Natural History Museum is housed in the former All Saints Church, an ecclesiastical structure that predates its current civic life and was adapted for museum use in the mid-20th century. The nave and chancel show Norman proportions, and the windows and later additions reflect gothic work added in later centuries. All Saints ceased to function as a parish church in the 1950s because the town-centre population shifted, and the building found a new public purpose as the home of the Natural History collections when the Museum opened in 1958. The ancient stone, timber rooflines and churchyard gravestones give the visitor’s experience a unique texture. You are learning about deep time inside a building whose own history reaches back many hundreds of years. Architecturally and emotionally, the church setting is a powerful curatorial asset (although was clad in scaffolding during my visit due to masonry repair works). The long, vaulted space of the nave lends itself to linear displays that can take a visitor through geological time or through ecological habitats. But it also imposes constraints: the building is a Grade II* listed medieval former church (its windows, tower and layout are historically sensitive), which affects conservation, accessibility adaptations and the way exhibits are installed. That relationship between museum content and museum container is central to the institution’s identity: the Museum is as much about place as it is about specimens. So, let’s get stuck in!
The North Sea coast around Essex is a dynamic and ecologically rich environment shaped by the interplay of tidal estuaries, salt marshes, mudflats, and sandy beaches. This coastal landscape provides crucial habitats for a wide variety of wildlife, especially migratory and resident bird species. The estuaries, such as the Blackwater and Crouch, are internationally important feeding and roosting grounds for wading birds like redshanks (Tringa totanus), oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus), and curlews (Numenius arquata), as well as for wintering populations of wildfowl including brent geese (Branta bernicla) and shelducks (Tadorna tadorna). The salt marshes, with their salt-tolerant plants like glasswort (Salicornia europaea) and sea lavender (Limonium vulgare), support invertebrates and small mammals, creating a vital food web that sustains larger predators including peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) and marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus). In addition to its rich birdlife, the Essex North Sea coast is home to diverse marine and intertidal species that reflect its natural history as a shifting boundary between land and sea. The mudflats teem with worms, shellfish, and crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps, which are essential for the health of the coastal ecosystem. The coastal waters themselves support fish species including bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and mullet (Chelon labrosus), and occasional sightings of seals highlight the connection between marine and coastal habitats. Over millennia, this region has evolved through natural processes of sediment deposition and erosion, influenced by both human activity and natural forces, making it a fascinating area for studying coastal ecology and the ongoing balance between land and sea.
The coastal sand dunes of Essex (found in areas such as Frinton-on-Sea, Jaywick, and parts of the Dengie Peninsula) host a distinctive community of plants and animals adapted to dry, shifting, and nutrient-poor conditions. Marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) dominates the foredunes, its tough, wiry blades and deep roots stabilising the sand and creating the structure that allows the dune system to form. In the more sheltered dune slacks, where moisture collects, species like sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) and sand sedge (Carex arenaria) can flourish. These flowering plants attract a rich variety of insects, including butterflies such as the common blue (Polyommatus icarus) and small copper (Lycaena phlaeas), as well as solitary bees and hoverflies that rely on the dunes’ warm, open microclimates. The diverse invertebrate life supports a range of birds and small vertebrates. Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) and meadow pipits (Anthus pratensis) often nest in the low vegetation, taking advantage of the dunes’ open sightlines, while kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) can be seen hovering overhead in search of voles and larger insects. Reptiles such as common lizards (Zootoca vivipara) and slow worms (Anguis fragilis) warm themselves on sun-heated sand patches, and the quieter dune areas may even shelter foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Together, these species form a resilient, interdependent ecosystem shaped by wind, salt spray, and the continual movement of the coastline.
The saltmarshes of Essex are vital coastal habitats found along the estuaries and tidal creeks of the county, such as those around the Blackwater, Crouch, and Colne estuaries. These marshes form in sheltered areas where fine sediments accumulate, allowing salt-tolerant plants to thrive. The vegetation in these saltmarshes plays a crucial role in stabilising the shoreline by trapping sediments and reducing the impact of waves and tidal flooding. This natural defense helps protect inland communities from coastal erosion and storm surges, making saltmarshes an important buffer zone between the sea and human settlements. Ecologically, Essex’s saltmarshes support a rich biodiversity, providing essential breeding and feeding grounds for a wide range of wildlife. The dense vegetation shelters invertebrates such as snails, worms, and crabs, which in turn attract wading birds like redshanks, oystercatchers, and avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta). These birds rely on the saltmarshes for nesting and foraging, especially during the spring and summer breeding seasons. Additionally, the saltmarshes serve as important stopover sites for migratory birds, offering a critical source of food and rest during long journeys. Together, the plants and animals of Essex’s saltmarshes form a unique and productive ecosystem that plays a key role in the county’s coastal health and biodiversity.
The tidal zones of Essex are characterised by a complex and ever-changing interface between land and sea, where the rhythm of the tides shapes diverse habitats along the coast. These zones include the aforementioned mudflats, salt marshes, and intertidal beaches that are regularly flooded and exposed by the rising and falling tides of the North Sea. Among the tidal species, bivalves such as cockles (Cerastoderma edule), mussels (Mytilus edulis), and native oysters (Ostrea edulis) are particularly abundant and vital to the Essex coastline. These filter feeders improve water quality by extracting plankton and organic particles from the water, while their shells offer shelter to a variety of smaller organisms. Mussel beds, in particular, create complex habitats that support crabs, worms, and juvenile fish. Cockles, buried in the muddy sediments, serve as a key food source for shorebirds like oystercatchers and curlews. The tidal zones of Essex also play an important role in water filtration and carbon sequestration, making them essential not only for wildlife but also for maintaining coastal environmental health.
Gardens in Essex are vibrant mini-ecosystems that support a surprising variety of wildlife, from common birds like robins (Erithacus rubecula), blackbirds (Turdus merula), and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to small mammals such as hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Insects including butterflies, bees, and ladybirds are often drawn to flowering plants and shrubs, which provide nectar, pollen, and shelter. Many gardens also attract amphibians like frogs and newts, especially if there are ponds or damp areas. Even in urban settings, small green spaces become crucial refuges for these species, offering food, nesting sites, and safe havens away from the pressures of development and intensive agriculture. The importance of gardens as wildlife habitats in Essex (and the wider landscape) cannot be overstated. They act as stepping stones or corridors that allow animals to move safely across the landscape, connecting larger natural areas and helping to maintain biodiversity. In a county where much land is used for farming or urban expansion, gardens provide essential pockets of green that support pollinators critical for food production and healthy ecosystems. By planting native species, reducing pesticide use, and creating features like log piles or ponds, gardeners can actively contribute to conserving local wildlife, making their gardens both beautiful and ecologically valuable.
Walking through the Natural History Museum is intentionally narrative. Exhibits are often arranged to lead the visitor from the oldest local materials to the present, which makes the Museum a microcosm of Earth history and human interaction with the environment. Interpretive strategies are typically narrative, tactile and family-friendly. You can expect to encounter: Pleistocene and Ice Age displays (fossil teeth, tusks and bones) that show the megafauna of past landscapes in the nave (as photographed above); taxidermy dioramas and skeletal displays that teach anatomy, adaptation, ecology and local habitat displays that explain dunes, marshes and river valley ecologies. There are a range of interactive zones for families such as being able to feel the surface of a shell, peer into a badger sett, and listen to recorded nature sounds. These interactive elements are central to the Museum’s appeal for younger visitors and school groups. Interpretation also tends to emphasise conservation and present-day biodiversity. The Museum links past climates and faunas with current environmental challenges: coastal change, habitat loss, species decline and climate shifts. Rather than being a passive taxonomic archive, the Museum acts as a bridge between natural history knowledge and civic stewardship of the local environment.
A large part of the Natural History Museum’s work is educational and community-oriented. The museum runs school sessions, family activities, and has resources aimed at teachers and community groups. Hands-on museum learning is strongly promoted through activity sheets, trails, microscope sessions and seasonal events are routine. The Museum also participates in local heritage programming and works in partnership with other Colchester museums (Colchester Castle and Hollytrees) under the Colchester Museums umbrella to provide joined-up learning programmes and cross-site storytelling. Community engagement is not only about children. The Natural History Museum maintains a relationship with local volunteer groups, naturalists and amateur collectors who contribute specimens, local knowledge and practical support. For small local museums, volunteers often form the backbone of daily activity: shop staffing, front-of-house, object handling and supporting outreach events. This civic scaffolding increases local ownership of the collection and ensures that the Museum remains relevant to the neighbourhood it serves.
Unlike big national natural history museums that assemble global collections, Colchester’s Natural History Museum deliberately concentrates its collection strengths on Britain, and more specifically on north-east Essex. That local focus is a strength: it enables the Museum to tell a coherent story about how the immediate landscape and wildlife of the region (marshes, estuaries, dunes, river valleys and the Colne) have changed over millions of years. Displays trace the route from the warm, amphibious fluvial environments of the distant past, through Pleistocene glacial and interglacial cycles, to the familiar birds and mammals of modern Essex. Standouts among the holdings are specimens and exhibits that bring the Ice Age to life. The Museum interprets fossil evidence that shows that mammoths, hippos and other large mammals once roamed the region, a common and surprisingly vivid theme in natural-history storytelling for East Anglia, where Pleistocene deposits sometimes yield large mammal remains. The Museum’s fossil displays, skeletal material and interpretive panels are designed to help a visitor grasp the scale and strangeness of an environment that no longer exists in Britain, while linking those deep-time changes to local geology and the more recent story of human settlement in the area. Beyond fossils, the Museum’s collections include taxidermy (local birds and mammals presented in dioramas), shell and invertebrate collections, geological specimens (rocks, minerals and pebbles that explain the building blocks of local landscapes), and smaller but scientifically significant items such as study skins, skulls and bones used for comparative work. Importantly for educational audiences, exhibits have hands-on elements including touchable shells, puzzles, microscopes and activity spaces, so the Museum serves both as a cabinet of curiosities and an experiential learning environment.
The Museum also works to educate visitors about the geology of the local area, and its importance. This is told through the story of the fossils but also the Colchester Earthquake of 1884, which struck on April 22, remains the most destructive earthquake ever recorded in the United Kingdom. Centred near the village of Peldon in Essex, the quake had an estimated magnitude of about 4.6, but its shallow depth amplified its impact across the region. Residents reported a loud rumbling followed by violent shaking that toppled chimneys, cracked walls, and damaged churches, cottages, and farm buildings. Contemporary accounts describe people fleeing their homes in panic, convinced that an explosion or catastrophic accident had occurred. Although no deaths were reported, the earthquake caused extensive property damage across Essex and beyond, affecting towns such as Colchester, Wivenhoe, and Ipswich. Thousands of buildings required repair, and the economic impact was significant for a rural region not prepared for such an event. The widespread news coverage and scientific interest generated by the quake helped raise awareness of the UK’s occasional seismic activity. Today, the Colchester Earthquake stands as a notable reminder that even regions considered geologically quiet can experience sudden and disruptive natural events.
Walton-on-the-Naze, located on the north Essex coast of England, is one of the country’s most renowned fossil-hunting sites. The cliffs here expose London Clay deposits dating back roughly 50 million years to the Eocene epoch. Within these layers, collectors frequently find well-preserved fossils of ancient marine life, including shark teeth (such as Otodus megalodon), ray teeth, fish remains, crabs, molluscs, and even occasional bird bones. Some of these are on display within the Museum. The constant coastal erosion continually reveals new material, making the site especially fruitful for both amateur and experienced fossil hunters. Above the London Clay lies the Red Crag, a much younger Pliocene deposit (around 2–3 million years old) that contains a different set of fossils, including shells and remnants of prehistoric marine habitats. The contrast between these two layers gives Walton-on-the-Naze exceptional geological significance, offering a window into multiple periods of Earth’s history. The site also illustrates broader processes of coastal change, erosion, and environmental shifts, making it valuable not just for palaeontology but also for understanding long-term natural dynamics along the English coastline.
Although not a major research university museum, Colchester’s Natural History Museum plays a role in regional collection stewardship and in providing material for research. Specimens in the Museum can support local environmental surveys, conservation projects and identification work that helps conservationists, ecologists and amateur naturalists alike. The focus on northeast Essex makes the collection particularly useful for studies that require good local comparative samples, for example, invertebrate surveys, bird migration records and Pleistocene faunal comparisons. Conservation of the collection must be balanced against the challenges of conserving an old church building. Maintaining humidity, controlling pests, and ensuring safe display mounting are all part of routine practice; equally pressing are the demands of building maintenance itself. Historic masonry, roofs and towers require specialised conservation attention, and repairs to keep the building safe for the public can interrupt normal operations. The Museum’s conservation decisions therefore link object care with building stewardship and local funding realities.
Practical visitor information matters for public museums. The Natural History Museum is free to enter, which supports accessibility and encourages repeat visits by families and schools. It has regular opening hours (commonly Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–17:00, and Sunday 11:00–17:00, with Mondays closed), and it is centrally placed on Colchester’s High Street, with the postcode CO1 1UG recommended for sat-navs. Volunteers and staff are on hand to support visitors, and special provisions (sensory maps, visual stories for neurodivergent visitors, and dementia-friendly resources) may be available for those that need them. If you’re planning a visit it’s sensible to check current opening times or temporary closures in advance. The Museum also contains content that can be sensitive to some visitors, taxidermy and skeletal displays (like those photographed above), which are a core part of natural history presentation but can be distressing to certain audiences.
Although its permanent displays build the spine of the Museum’s narrative, temporary exhibitions often draw renewed attention and broaden the themes the Museum can explore. Past temporary displays and touring exhibitions have included dinosaur-themed projects (popular with families), focused showcases on bees or local invertebrates, and thematic displays that link local cultural history to natural history (for example, exhibitions on the relationship between Colchester’s Roman past and the environment). Small museums can be nimble in this respect: a focused short exhibition can leverage local partnerships, volunteers and school involvement to create a lively, participatory programme. Seasonal events (half-term science activities, craft trails, fossil handling sessions) are central to audience development, and the Museum’s ‘hands-on’ style is well suited to interactive pop-up sessions that engage younger audiences. The shop (modest but carefully curated with nature-inspired goods, fossils and educational toys) helps sustain the free-entry model by encouraging donations and purchases that support programming.
One final thing to finish up with, the Museum is currently undergoing a major transformation, aiming to revitalise both its historic building and the way its collections are presented. The Museum has received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and local authorities to support an extensive redevelopment project. As part of this plan, the church and its surrounding outdoor space will be restored, and new facilities like a better entrance, café, shop, and improved learning and community spaces will be added. Besides physical repairs and heritage conservation, the redevelopment will transform the way the Museum presents its collections. Architects and exhibition designers intend to bring many items out of long-term storage (some of which have not been publicly displayed for decades) and reinterpret the collections with a fresh focus on the natural heritage of northeast Essex. The envisioned new layout includes interactive and modern displays, more space for learning and community engagement, and a mezzanine to expand exhibit area, improving visitor experience especially for families, schools, and local natural-history interest groups. It will be interesting to see how the Museum evolves through time with this in mind. If you manage to visit, please let me know what your favourite part was below in the comments!
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