Clacton PierEast Essex Aviation Society and MuseumHolland Haven Country ParkRobbie Rascal Party and Play Centre
The East Essex Aviation Society and Museum has been housed in the historic Martello Tower at Point Clear since it’s first opening to visitors in 1986. The Tower is one of the first Napoleonic Forts built in 1806 on the East Coast to repel any possible invasion from France and is one of the few Martello Towers still open to the public.
The Society was formed in 1985 when interest grew locally in the recovery of a crashed American P51 Mustang of the U.S. 479th Fighter Group that was forced to ditch in the sea off the coast of Clacton on 13th January, 1945 with the loss of the pilot's life. The Tower was the ideal place to store and preserve the wreckage after it was retrieved from the sea.
The remains of this aircraft now takes pride of place along with a memorial display to the pilot but in addition to this, the Museum also houses a large collection of displays covering the major conflicts of the 20th century.
Ground Floor
On the ground floor are many items recovered from local aircraft crash sites, several displays, an extensive model collection and "Fred’s Workshop" where recovered crash site artefacts are cleaned and treated to prevent them from decay.
The oldest artefact in our collection is displayed on the ground floor and is a mammoth bone over one million years old!
First Floor
On the first floor the visitor is greeted by a wide range of memorabilia that has been lent or given to the Museum, or is part of our members personal collections. These displays contain uniforms, equipment and memorabilia from the First World War Army, Navy, American Forces, the 479th Fighter Group, Homefront, Civil Defence and Royal Observer Corps, RAF, German, ATS and much more.
Roof
On the roof there are more displays including a large aircraft wheel and a propeller. The views on a clear day are superb ranging from Colchester, some 14 miles away to Mersea Island and Bradwell Atomic Power Station. Much nearer is the town of Brightlingsea across the River Colne.
We very much regret that owing to the type and age of the building, disabled visitors may find they are unable to visit the roof and the first floor. However they are most welcome to explore the ground floor and society members will be available to talk about other displays and hopefully make their visit enjoyable.
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