The Museum of Bath at Work – The Story of Working Bath

“Perhaps the best thing I’ve seen in all of Bath!”

“A very cool collection! We had so much fun!”

Child, age 4 (Visitor Book, Nov 2023)

“Ooooh but I love this museum – why do we have to go home?”

“Industry is the not the first thing one thinks of when visiting Bath, but this was super!”

“I so enjoyed being transported into the past!”

“History preserved at its best! What a treasure!”

“First class exhibitions and so important for future generations!”

May

Walk the Four Mills of Widcombe

April 30, 2024

| 2.00pm | Meet at Quays Bridge, BA2 3DZ Friends of the Museum event At the Friends AGM, Tony Coverdale gave a fascinating talk on ‘The Four Mills of Widcombe’ covering the long history of […]

Installing a 1.5 ton Bath Stone block

March 12, 2024

Installing a Bath Stone block outside the Museum of Bath at Work prior to receiving the 1926 Stothert & Pitt deck winch with volunteer help.

Stothert & Pitt Winch to be installed

March 4, 2024

After a huge amount of work of restoring and renovating by volunteers, a winch made by Stothert & Pitt of Bath is to be installed outside the Museum of Bath at Work on Friday!

We love to tell the stories of working people in Bath. The first part of your visit will take you through Bowlers’ factory, workshops and office – you’ll step back in time straightaway when you buy your ticket at his shop counter! Your visit next takes you to the floor above which shows how the city’s workers have served residents and visitors with goods and services since the time of the Romans. And the Hudson Gallery features a changing programme of exhibitions, designed and researched with local people.

Where can you see a Horstmann Car from 1914?

And how on earth did we get it up the stairs?

Why did these bottles have marbles inside?

They were returnable, but why might children break the bottles?

Plasticine was invented in 1897 in Bath by an art teacher

How would he have used this modelling material in his work?

Where would you find this print table for Bath’s local newspaper

Why is the print backwards?

Where would you find this extraordinary bike?

How did you get on, and stay on?

This stone mining tool is used to lift heavy weights.

How did it work?

What was hung from this hook sold in Bowler’s shop?

J.B. Bowler made these in his foundry – what is it made of?

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