Havering Museum
What Visitors Say
I attended the talk about the National Archives yesterday at the Museum, led by a superb staff member from the National Archives. It was so good! The talk was in depth and useful and the lady giving the talk after addressed everyone's individual family history questions. We even had tea and cake! It was just the inspiration I needed to get back into family history research and well organised
Me and my friend went here today and it was so good! They had many interesting facts, artefacts and accurate replicas of so many items. There was so much information! As well as that one worker was so so SO helpful and kind and really made the experience for us. He offered to talk to me and my friend for a bit, telling us about what’s on display and all the history behind it, he was so great, friendly, helpful and knew his stuff! Couldn’t recommend more!
A little Museum with a big heart. Lots of interesting objects within the Museum, telling the history of the site (Old Ind Coope Brewery) and the local areas. Plus, add to that the wonderful talks they arrange, ranging from historical to pub beanos and hop picking. Friendly staff and a very clean venue.
The Museum is lucky to have very enthusiastic and informative volunteers. The Museum is laid out in a very creative way rather than just being a chronological record of the past.
Such a lovely little museum with incredibly kind and helpful staff! I visited to research historic photos of Romford for my geography NEA, and the staff went above and beyond, providing me with so much information and even a few little goodies. It truly feels like a hidden gem! If you ever find yourself in Romford and are looking for something to do, I highly recommend stopping by. It’s an underrated spot that gives you a real glimpse into Romford’s past. Thank you so much to everyone there!
Highlights
Liberty of Havering & Royal Connections
Explains how Havering enjoyed special legal status as a royal liberty for centuries, shaping local governance and identity.Charter facsimiles and court documents show a district that ran its own affairs under the Crown—an unusual civic story within Greater London.
Introductory gallery run
Romford Market & Coaching Town
Romford’s market (chartered in 1247) and Great North Road coaching traffic powered local trade into the railway age.Scales, tokens and traders’ ledgers sit beside coach travel ephemera to show how people, animals and goods flowed through the town.
Town-life cases
From Prehistory to Rome
Finds from the Thames floodplain and local digs anchor Havering in deep time and the Roman occupation.Pottery, coins and domestic tools reveal everyday habits on the east London fringe long before ‘Havering’ was a borough.
Archaeology wall
RAF Hornchurch & the Home Front
Hornchurch’s fighter station and associated sites tied Havering into both World Wars and the Battle of Britain.Uniform pieces, squadron photographs and local ARP material connect global conflict to local streets and fields.
20th-century gallery
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Romford’s market rights trace to a 1247 royal charter—one reason the town became a major livestock and produce hub for centuries.
The ‘Royal Liberty of Havering’ maintained its own quarter sessions and administrative apparatus into the 19th century, a rarity in the capital’s hinterland.
RAF Hornchurch’s squadrons—flying from a grass airfield only a few miles from Romford—played front-line roles in 1940; local streets still echo station names.
