Vestry House, a two storey building of brown stock brick, was constructed in 1730 by order of the Vestry.
At that time the Church Common covered 27 acres to the south of Church End. The Vestry purchased an acre of this land close to the village for £6 on which to build their workhouse.
A simple eight roomed symmetrical house was initially built on the site at a cost of £343, 12s, 3d. The ground floor room to the left of the front door was to be used for Vestry meetings, and the rest of the building was to be occupied by the 'paupers'. The inscribed stone plaque erected above the entrance to mark the completion of the building still remains in position and declares:
"if any would not work neither should he eat" .
Vestry House had since been a police station and a private house.
From 1882 until 1892 the oldest part of the building was used as the headquarters of the Walthamstow Literary and Scientific Institute, after which it became a private house, occupied by the Maynard family until 1912, and then for the next eighteen years Miss Constance Demain Saunders, JP.
In 1930 Miss Demain Saunders offered the remainder of her lease of Vestry House to the Walthamstow Borough Council (the successor to the Local Board), and it was decided to use this historic building to house a museum, the aim of which was to be 'an educative and popular introduction to the social and economic history of our town and district'.
Vestry House opened as a Museum in 1931.
Virtual Tour
Have a sneak peak into the Museum with the Vestry House Museum virtual tour.
Permanent exhibitions
Themed displays capture the unique heritage of this area or north-east London.
Explore life during past and present Waltham Forest through our fascinating displays on domestic life, local history, fashion and toys and games. See our Victorian parlour and enter our police cell!
Learn about and see the Bremer car. Built locally in 1892 by engineer Frederick Bremer, the Bremer car is the earliest British built combustion engine car.
The workhouse garden and function room
As part of a visit to the Museum you can enjoy a walk through our workhouse garden, which displays plants known to be grown here by the workhouse inmates in the eighteenth century. You can also take a stroll through our flower, herb and object gardens.
We have an active volunteer group which maintains the garden. Please contact the museum if you would like to help.
You may wish to consider booking the Function Room to hold your meetings and events.
The Bremer car
The main individual exhibit is the Bremer car, built by Frederick Bremer in 1892, and one of the claimants to being the oldest British-built petrol driven car.
Victorian parlour
One of the rooms at the museum has been set up to reconstruct a typical local parlour from about 1890.
Walthamstow tea service
Little is known about the origins of this set of cups, saucers and bowls other than it was produced in the 1820's for a local well-to-do family. Many of the items depict local houses and because of this it has become known as the Walthamstow Tea Service. A selection from the set is permanently on display.
The police cell
As Vestry House once housed a police station the museum has made use of this in its exhibitions. One of the cells still exists with its original bench and toilet and in this area we have recreated a scene from April 1861. We know that on this evening Sgt. Charles Carpenter was on duty whilst James Wright, a local labourer, had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly. During a visit you may be "lucky" enough to experience the fate of James Wright by being locked in the cell.
Domestic life
The Domestic Life gallery looks at utensils used for washing, ironing, cooking and for serving food during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Toys and games
The Toys and Games gallery looks at typical toys that were being played with or manufactured in Waltham Forest during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Costume
The Costume gallery contains examples of clothing from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries including a Georgian dress, a Victorian wedding dress and a Second World War wedding dress. Within the gallery there is also a display about making and repairing clothing.
Made in Waltham Forest
This gallery looks at local companies and industries that have left their mark on the borough during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On display are plastic items made by Halex, cameras made by Ensign, toys made by Britains and hand carts made by Abbotts.
Wooden panelling
In the costume gallery is a wonderful example of wood panelling. This sixteenth century panelling, including the fire place, was removed from Essex Hall during its demolition in 1933 and placed into the museum.
