The East Essex Aviation Society and Museum has been housed in the historic Martello Tower at Point Clear since it opened in the summer of 1986. The Tower is one of the first built in 1805 to repel a Napoleonic invasion expected from France. It is also one of the few Martello Towers still open to the public along the Essex coast.

The East Essex Aviation 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 into the sea off the coast of Clacton on the 13th January 1945, when the pilot Raymond E. King, died after being rescued from the sea.  The Tower was an 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 this century.

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 artefacts are cleaned and treated to preserve them from decay. The oldest artefact in our collection is displayed downstairs. It is a Mammoth bone over 10,000 years old!!

On the first floor is displayed 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 1914 - 1918 World War. Also from the 1939 - 1945 war Army, Navy and American Forces, The 479th Fighter Group, the Home front, Civil Defence and Observation Corps, R.A.F., A.T.S., and German memorabilia, and much more.

	On the roof there are more displays including a large aircraft wheel, and a propeller. The view from the top of the Tower looks towards Colchester 14 miles away, to Mersea I sland across the river Colne and nearby to the historic Cinque Port of Brightlingsea. Free Car parking is at the Ferryboat Inn, next door, where food and drink are available.
	Opening times throughout the year: Monday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.   From April to October on Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition from June to September on Wednesday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Extra opening on Bank Holidays. We are pleased to open the museum for groups of a reasonable size at other times.  Telephone for more information: 07899 917144 (Denise Davies) Last updated 2/11/09