This display recreates the installation of a 24 pounder cannon on a Royal Navy Ship of the Line in the 1800s.
Why was the British Navy the envy of the world in the 19th Century? Who worked and fired these fearsome guns? How did they live on board a wooden warship?
While it is possible to spend several hours at the Purfleet Heritage and Military Centre, and even then to have not seen and read everything on display, every collection like ours has a few real gems that should not be missed.
This is the top 10 list that our team have come up with.
If you have visited and disagree with the list we would love to hear from you.
This is a genuine, unexploded German 500kg bomb dropped on Beckton Gasworks in March 1941.
The story behind its discovery 40 years later and it subsequently being made safe is a fascinating one to discover on your visit,
RAF Hornchurch would have had two such clocks in the operations Room, with this mechanical clock as backup in case of loss of power to the electric one, as part of the Dowding System of air defence.
Come and find out how this worked and how this fabulous object ended up at the Centre.
On 20th September 1940, in the heat of the Battle of Britain, this aircraft was shot down over Hanningfield. The engine, propellor and parts of the instrument panel are on display at the Centre.
Come and see a genuine Rolls Royce Merlin engine and discover the story of this historic aircraft,
This is how No.5 Magazine would have looked in the 1760s when it opened as part of the Royal Gunpowder Magazines.
Learn about how this most dangerous substance was stored, 18th century "Health and Safety", and see what is one of the oldest working cranes in Britain.
Once, pretty much every home had one.
Who went first, how was it filled and emptied and did anyone ever "throw the baby out with the bathwater?"
Part of our extensive heritage displays in the Centre to explore.
A genuine Zulu shield and spears gifted to the Centre by the King of the Zulus are the highlights of the colonial bay.
How did such simple weapons overcome the British Army at Isandlwana and why did the defence of Rourke's Drift win so many VCs?
Discover the story of the first blitz of London by German Zeppelins during WW1.
Why did the Lord Mayor of London issue gold medallions to the gunners at Purfleet Garrison in March 1916?
Experience an air raid during the Blitz in a genuine 1940s Anderson Shelter and find out about how civilians in Essex and the East End coped under the daily bombing.
Was the "Blitz Spirit" genuine or Government propaganda?
At first glance a simple wooden doll's house but who made it and why is it so special?
Come visit the Purfleet Heritage and Military Centre to find out.
"The site is absolutely amazing, full of history and the views of the river Thames are stunning.
There are so many exhibits that we ran out of time as we didn't realise how much was there."
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