Helmshore Mills Textile Museum

Trace how cloth production, first wool, then cotton, became Lancashire's main export throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Watch our gigantic waterwheel at work, visit the cotton spinning floor or learn how the ideas of famous local inventors revolutionised the world in which we live today!

Core sessions

The woollen story (2hrs) Key Stages 1, 2 and 3

Before cotton came to Britain, people spun and wove wool at home. This session will teach pupils about the cottage industry and allow them to try carding and spinning wool by hand. Visit Higher Mill, built in 1789 and discover how woollen cloth was made and finished. Watch the waterwheel turn and power sets of fulling stocks and visit the lodge to see how the mill was supplied with water.

The cotton story (2hrs) Key Stages 1, 2 and 3

Where does our cotton come from? Take a trip through the Devil Hole to discover how the mill used recycled cotton to make yarn. Find out about how and why we need to recycle things today. In Whitaker's Mill find out about carding and spinning by machine and the working conditions of the mill, then watch a demonstration of the carding engines and spinning mule.

Additional Activities

Revolution! (1hr) Key Stages 1, 2 and 3

Take a journey through the Industrial Revolution, from the domestic woollen industry to the time when cotton was king. Follow the inventions that made it happen, and the lives of the people it affected.

Felt making (1hr) Key Stages 1, 2 and 3

A practical session for your pupils; how to turn wool into felt! (Please note: there is an extra charge of 75p per child for this session).

Fibres and fabrics (1hr) Key Stages 1 and 2

What are the clothes we wear made from? This practical session allows pupils to discover the origins of different fabrics. Examine samples under microscopes and be amazed that fabric can even be made from wood!

Object handling (1hr) Key Stages 1 and 2

An opportunity for pupils to handle real objects from Victorian domestic and working life.

We advise that teachers and pupils take part in at least one core session in order to fully experience the unique features of Helmshore Mills Textile Museum. For full day visits, two additional activities can also be included.

Cost

Morning/afternoon session (2hrs)     £2.50 LCC pupil     £3 Non LCC pupil

All day session (4hrs)                      £5 LCC pupil          £6 Non LCC pupil

Accompanying adults free.

To enquire about making a booking please call the museum on 01706 226459.