About
Derby Silk Mill - Museum of Making stands as a monument to innovation and industry, housed in what is celebrated as the world's first modern factory. Built in 1721 by Thomas Lombe on an island in the River Derwent, this Grade I listed building pioneered the factory system that would transform global manufacturing. Following a transformative £17.5 million redevelopment completed in 2021, the museum has been reimagined as a vibrant celebration of Derby's extraordinary 300-year making heritage and the ingenuity of its people.
The original Silk Mill represents a watershed moment in industrial history - a five-story building powered by a massive waterwheel that employed 300 workers in the organized production of silk thread using machinery copied from Italian designs. This revolutionary approach to manufacturing established principles that would define the Industrial Revolution and spread worldwide. The building itself tells this story, with exposed historic machinery, the restored iron-framed structure, and interpretive displays explaining how Lombe's factory represented a radical departure from traditional cottage industry production. The site forms part of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing its global significance in the birth of the factory system.
The Museum of Making showcases Derby's continued tradition of innovation through comprehensive collections documenting the city's leadership in engineering, particularly railway locomotive manufacture and aerospace technology. Midland Railway heritage is celebrated through historic locomotives, engineering drawings, and the tools and skills of Derby's railway works. Rolls-Royce's pioneering jet engine development is honored through displays of turbine components, technical innovations, and the stories of the engineers who made Derby a world center for aerospace technology. Interactive maker spaces encourage visitors to engage with traditional crafts and modern manufacturing techniques, from metalworking to 3D printing, continuing the building's heritage as a place of production and skill.
With free admission, a spectacular riverside location on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, hands-on activities that inspire future makers, and collections that trace Derby's evolution from silk production through steam locomotives to jet engines, the Museum of Making provides an engaging, inspirational experience for all ages. This is not merely a museum about the past but a working celebration of making, innovation, and the human creativity that drives progress.
Categories:
Annual Visitors (2022)
150,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings (10:00-12:00) for quietest experience, or Friday evenings for extended opening
💡 Visitor Tips
- Allow at least two to three hours for a comprehensive visit, longer if you want to participate in maker workshops or hands-on activities. The museum is much larger than it appears from outside, with five floors of galleries, workshops, and interactive spaces.
- The building itself is the star attraction - take time to appreciate the 1721 architecture, the iron-framed structure, and the riverside location that enabled waterwheel power. The UNESCO World Heritage status recognizes this as globally significant industrial heritage.
- Maker workshops require advance booking and are extremely popular, especially during school holidays. Check the website and book early if you want to participate in specific activities like metalworking, textiles, or digital fabrication sessions.
- The riverside location is spectacular - the museum sits on an island in the River Derwent with beautiful views and pleasant walking paths. On fine days, the outdoor picnic area provides a lovely spot for lunch with the historic mill building as backdrop.
- Combine your visit with other nearby attractions in Derby's Cathedral Quarter - Derby Museum and Art Gallery (5 minutes), Derby Cathedral (4 minutes), and Pickford's House Museum (8 minutes) are all within easy walking distance and offer free admission.
- The museum café serves excellent food at reasonable prices with good vegetarian and vegan options. The museum shop offers quality books about industrial heritage, engineering, and local history, plus maker-themed gifts and craft supplies.
- Photography is encouraged throughout the museum - the historic building and industrial displays provide excellent photo opportunities. Share your photos using the museum's social media hashtags to connect with the maker community.
- For train enthusiasts and engineering history buffs, this museum is essential visiting. The railway collections and Rolls-Royce aerospace displays showcase Derby's sustained engineering excellence across different technologies and time periods, from steam power to jet engines.
Highlights
The 1721 Silk Mill Building and Waterwheel
The building itself is the museum's most significant artifact - recognized as the world's first modern factory and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built by Thomas Lombe in 1721, this five-story structure revolutionized manufacturing by housing all stages of silk throwing under one roof, powered by a massive waterwheel driven by the River Derwent. The iron-framed construction, advanced for its time, allowed large open workspaces filled with Italian-designed machinery operated by 300 workers.
This pioneering factory system established principles of organized production, division of labor, and mechanization that would define the Industrial Revolution and transform global manufacturing. Visitors can see the restored historic fabric of the building, interpretive displays explaining its revolutionary design, and understand how this single structure on a Derby river island changed the world of work forever.
Rolls-Royce Aerospace Heritage Collection
Derby's reputation as a world center for aerospace engineering is celebrated through this outstanding collection documenting Rolls-Royce's pioneering jet engine development. Displays feature turbine blades, compressor sections, and engineering components that illustrate the technological innovations developed in Derby's factories.
The collection chronicles the evolution from early jet engines like the Welland and Derwent through to modern turbofan technology, explaining the metallurgical breakthroughs and precision engineering that made Rolls-Royce a global leader in aerospace.
Personal stories from Derby engineers, designers, and factory workers humanize the technological narrative, showing how local skills and innovation contributed to Britain's aerospace industry. Interactive displays explain the science of jet propulsion and the manufacturing processes required to produce engines capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and stresses.
Midland Railway Engineering Collection
Derby's proud heritage as a major center for railway locomotive manufacture is showcased through comprehensive collections from the Midland Railway works. Historic locomotives, including preserved examples of Derby-built engines, demonstrate the engineering excellence that made the city synonymous with railway innovation.
Engineering drawings, tools, patterns, and manufacturing equipment reveal the skills and precision required to build steam locomotives.
The collection documents the Derby works' evolution from the 1840s through the steam age to diesel and electric locomotive production, illustrating how the railway industry shaped Derby's industrial landscape and employed thousands of skilled workers. Photographs, workers' personal items, and oral histories provide insight into the culture and community of the railway works, celebrating the craftsmanship and pride of Derby's railway heritage.
The Maker Spaces - Interactive Production Areas
Continuing the building's 300-year heritage as a place of making, the museum features working maker spaces where visitors can engage with traditional and modern manufacturing techniques. Metalworking benches equipped with traditional tools allow hands-on experience of skills used by Derby's engineers for generations.
Textile production areas demonstrate spinning, weaving, and other processes that connect directly to the building's original silk manufacturing purpose.
3D printing stations and digital fabrication equipment show how modern technology continues Derby's innovation tradition. Regular workshops led by skilled makers teach specific techniques from blacksmithing to coding, inspiring the next generation of engineers, craftspeople, and designers. These spaces transform the museum from passive observation to active participation, embodying the spirit of creativity and skill that defines Derby's making heritage.
Collections
The Museum of Making holds comprehensive collections documenting 300 years of Derby's industrial heritage and making culture, comprising approximately 40,000 objects spanning textiles, engineering, railways, aerospace, and manufacturing. The collections strength lies in Derby-made products and the tools, machinery, and archives that document how they were produced.
Railway engineering collections include locomotives, engineering drawings, tools, and workers' artifacts from the Midland Railway works and British Rail Engineering Limited.
Aerospace collections celebrate Rolls-Royce's Derby heritage with jet engine components, technical innovations, and engineering records. Textile machinery and products connect to the building's silk manufacturing origins. Industrial archaeology includes tools, patterns, and equipment representing diverse Derby industries from precision instrument making to domestic manufacturing.
Archives hold over 50,000 photographs, business records, technical drawings, and personal papers that document Derby's industrial and social history, providing research resources for understanding Britain's industrial heritage.
The Silk Mill Story - World's First Factory
This foundational exhibition tells the story of the building itself - how Thomas Lombe's 1721 silk mill pioneered the factory system and changed manufacturing forever. Displays explain the Italian silk-throwing technology Lombe copied, the innovative building design with its iron frame and waterwheel power, and the organized production system that employed 300 workers.
Visitors learn about the silk industry in eighteenth-century England, the industrial espionage that acquired the Italian machinery designs, and the profound impact this single building had on the Industrial Revolution.
Architectural interpretation reveals the building's historic fabric, while models and interactive displays demonstrate how the waterwheel powered multiple floors of machinery. This exhibition provides essential context for understanding the museum's UNESCO World Heritage status and global industrial significance.
📍 Ground Floor
Railway Heritage - Derby's Engineering Pride
Derby's transformation into a major railway engineering center is celebrated through locomotives, components, tools, and the stories of the people who built them. The exhibition spans the Midland Railway's arrival in Derby in the 1840s through decades of steam locomotive construction to diesel and electric production.
Historic Derby-built locomotives demonstrate engineering excellence, while tools, patterns, and manufacturing equipment reveal the precision craftsmanship required.
Engineering drawings, apprentice indentures, and workers' photographs document the human side of the railway works - the skills, traditions, and community pride. Interactive displays explain locomotive design and construction, allowing visitors to appreciate the complexity of building these powerful machines.
This exhibition honors Derby's railway heritage and the thousands of skilled workers who made the city synonymous with locomotive engineering.
📍 Ground Floor and First Floor
Rolls-Royce and Aerospace Innovation
Derby's continuing reputation for engineering excellence is showcased through the story of Rolls-Royce's pioneering jet engine development. From early experiments through to modern turbofan technology, the exhibition traces aerospace innovations developed in Derby's factories. Turbine blades, compressor sections, and engine components illustrate the metallurgical and engineering breakthroughs required for jet propulsion.
The exhibition explains how Derby became a world center for aerospace engineering, the science behind jet engines, and the precision manufacturing required.
Personal stories from Derby engineers and factory workers humanize the technological narrative, while interactive displays demonstrate engine operation. This exhibition celebrates Derby's sustained innovation culture and its contribution to Britain's aerospace industry from the 1940s to the present day.
📍 Second Floor
Maker Spaces - Past, Present, and Future
Living workshop areas where visitors engage directly with making through traditional and modern techniques. Metalworking benches equipped with hand tools allow experience of skills used by Derby engineers for generations. Textile production areas demonstrate spinning and weaving connected to the building's silk heritage.
Digital fabrication stations with 3D printers and laser cutters show contemporary making methods. Regular workshops teach specific skills from blacksmithing to coding, connecting traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. These spaces embody the museum's philosophy that making heritage is not just historical but ongoing, inspiring future generations to develop skills and creativity.
The maker spaces transform the museum from passive viewing to active participation, continuing the building's 300-year tradition as a place of production.
📍 Third Floor
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.