9th January to 3rd April 2010

Beecroft Art Gallery

For Richer, For Poorer - 200 Years of Wedded Bliss

The Beecroft re-opens its doors on 9 January with a wonderful display of wedding costumes dating back over a two hundred years.  

Southend Museums Service has a very fine collection of historic costumes, housed and cared for at the Beecroft Art Gallery and now there is a chance to see a selection of these donations, some on public view for the first time.

16th to 20th February 2010

Southchurch Hall

Victorian Games and Pastimes

A chance to explore Victorian leisure time, with authentic parlour games including Blind-mans Bluff, the Laughing Game and Charades, not forgetting the outdoor games hopscotch and hoop and stick. 

Demonstrations, displays of needlework, lots of craft activities including decorating of picture frames with shells, silhouette card making and much more awaits.

16th to 20th February 2010

Central Museum

The BBCs - A History of the World

A chance for the public to discover more about the ambitious project and to seek assistance and guidance about upload their own historic items and heirlooms onto the national website.

Saturday 20th February 2010 - 6.00pm to 8.00pm

and Saturday 20th March 2010 - 7.00pm to 9.00pm

Hadleigh Country Park

Astronomy Open Night

Our popular astronomy open nights return for spring 2010.

Visitors will be able to view the Moon and other celestial objects through the powerful telescopes of the Castle Point Astronomy Club (weather permitting!).

More details at www.cpac.org.uk

Admission Free  (Donations Welcomed!)

Further Open Nights will be held October 16th 2010 from 7pm to 9pm, and November 13th 2010 from 5.30 to 7.30pm.

3rd April 2010

Southchurch Hall

Easter Egg Hunt

Follow the clues and claim your prize – fun for all the family.

10th & 11th April 2010

Central Museum

The Big Rock Show

Spectacular rocks and minerals, visit our glowing rock “cave”, wonder at Moon Rock and Meteors.   Try your hand at panning for gold.  View spectacular collections, listen to expert talks, visit our identification tables and enjoy free craft activities and a whole lot more. 

10th April to 19th June 2010

Beecroft Gallery

Essential Beecroft - Watercolours

Watercolours from the permanent collection.

17th to 25th April 2010

Beecroft Gallery

Westcliff Art Trail

A great opportunity to catch a sneak preview of work by all the artists who will be featured in the Trail throughout the Westcliff area later in the year.

1st May to 19th June 2010

Beecroft Gallery

Essential Beecroft part II - Landscape Oils

Landscape Oils from the permanent collection

15th May 2010

Central Museum

Night of the Museum

A night of discovery around the Museum, special free planetarium shows, free craft activity, observe an artist create a work of art inspired by our collections in just three hours, ask questions, bring in objects for identification. 

Enter your family heirlooms onto the BBC’s A History of the World website.  A super glimpse behind the scenes - put our experts to the test!   

Friday 21st May 2010 at 7.30pm

Central Museum

A Brief History of the Mind

A special evening presentation that traces the interesting history, and even more fascinating characters, of our understanding our our minds from antiquity to the modern day.

You will hear about the discovery of hypnosis, Freud's couch, rats in mazes, and on up to our modern understanding and applications of psychology to our everyday lives. On the way, you will gain real and often surprising insights into how both you, and others, think.

An informative, humourous, and enjoyable evening.

Tickets will be available from the Central Museum shortly.

1st to 5th June 2010

Southchurch Hall

Farm Life

Find out about life on a Victorian farm.

5th June to 31st July 2010

Central Museum

Meet the Tudors

26th June 2010

Central Museum & Priory Park

Its a Bugs Life

It’s a Bugs Life including pond dipping at Priory Park at 11.00am.  Explore the wonders of nature – go pond dipping at Priory Park with our experts and then return to Central to examine you finds, make bug related crafts and view wonderful creepy crawlies.

10th July to 2nd October 2010

Beecroft Gallery

52nd Essex Open Art Exhibition

A chance to shine, if you are an artist living or working in Essex and are over 18 this is the annual opportunity to enter the prestigious Essex Open Exhibition.  Selection is by prominent people in the art world and there are generous sponsored awards for various categories.

A maximum of three works per artist is allowed.  Fees are; £6 one entry, £10 two entries and £12 three entries.  Entry forms and rules are available from the gallery and to download here from mid April.

27th June to 31st July 2010

Central Museum

Archaeology Festival

This year there will be a Tudor theme so as usual there will be lots of great craft activities for the children, an opportunity to practise at being an archaeologist by excavating our sand trays, displays about the Tudors in Southend, face painting, archaeological puzzles, demonstrations by a moneyer with stamped coins to take away and an apothecary. 

1st August 2010

Southchurch Hall

Tudor Day

The annual celebration of Tudor life, with jesters, musicians and story tellers.  Step back in time and enjoy the wonders of Southchurch Hall.   

7th August to 2nd October 2010

Beecroft Gallery

Life's a Beach

Summer Exhibition Beach Wear from the Museum’s Collections

12th September 2010

Southchurch Hall

Heritage Open Day - Wattle and Daub Techniques

As part of the annual celebration of the nation’s heritage, Southchurch Hall will be giving visitors the chance to practise the technique of wattle and daub which would have been used to construct this historic building.  No authentic dung though just good messy fun, there will also be a range of craft and farm related activities.

9th October to 18th December 2010

Beecroft Gallery

Beyond the Frame & Winter Exhibition featuring Active 8

‘Beyond the Frame’ is a Museums in Essex project involving 5 museums, paired with 5 Essex artists. The artists have worked to create new pieces of art inspired by those they have seen in the museums’ collections, focussing upon works on paper – watercolours, prints, drawings and posters.  The exhibition, to be launched at the Beecroft Art Gallery, will display the results of this work, and the art that inspired it, and tour other venues all over the county in 2011.

Upstairs the traditional winter exhibition returns with wonderful arts and crafts on display to admire and tempt you into purchasing that extra special gift.

9th October to 18th December 2010

Central Museum

Myths and Legends Exhibition

23rd October 2010

Beecroft Gallery

The Big Draw

As part of the national campaign to get the nation drawing the Beecroft Art Gallery will be hosting the Big Draw. 

A guest illustrator will be guiding old and young alike through workshops enabling the inexperience and experience to create their own masterpieces and hopefully be inspired to nurture their new talents.

26th to 30th October 2010

Central Museum

Making Myths and Legends

Wonderful half term activities, with storytelling, puppeteers, special Planetarium Shows, craft activities & face painting.   

27th November 2010

Southchurch Hall

Christmas Open Day

A wonderful mix of traditional carols, madrigal singers, story telling and an enormous Christmas Tree.  Southchurch Hall is beautifully decorated for Christmas.  A wonderful selection of festive jams and chutney, cakes with a few local craft tables, a perfect start to Christmas festivities.