Southend Museum was built in 1905-6 at a cost of £9,374 and originally housed Southend Library.
The building was commissioned and paid for by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-born American immigrant, who went from rags to riches in the steel manufacturing industry.
Later in his life, Carnegie sold his steel business and systematically gave 90% of his collected fortune away to cultural, educational and scientific institutions for "the improvement of mankind." In total he spent over $55million on building over 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world and was commonly referred to as the "Patron Saint of Libraries".
Current Exhibitions
Getting Here
CENTRAL MUSEUM
Victoria Avenue
Southend-on-Sea
Essex
SS2 6EW
Telephone: 01702 212345
Email: museums@southend.gov.uk