Southend Central Museum & Planetarium

The Central Museum is situated in Victoria Avenue, and houses the main offices of the Museums Service, together with the Planetarium and principal artefact store.

The Central Museum was opened in April 1981, in a magnificent Edwardian library building. The displays tell the story of the natural and human history of south east Essex.

The Southend Planetarium is the only public Planetarium facility in the south-east, outside of London. It presents a range of talks about astronomy and the night sky. All our presentations are given live, giving plenty of opportunity for any questions you may wish to ask, and are generally suitable for ages 7 to adult.

Programmes are run most Wednesdays to Saturdays, at 11.00am, 2.00pm and 4.00pm. We recommend contacting us to confirm seat availability and current programme.