Bolton Steam Museum

About the museum

Bolton Steam Museum was created by the Northern Mill Engine Society, which was formed in 1966 by a small group of enthusiasts. They wanted to save steam engines from the Lancashire and Yorkshire textile mills before they were scrapped. At the height of the cotton industry, Lancashire mills may have used some 10,000 engines, but by the late 1960s only a few hundred mills survived.

The society was offered premises at Atlas Mills in Bolton, where the engines were rebuilt. After about fifteen years of work, the first museum opened in one of the mill's engine houses, and five rebuilt engines could be seen working in steam. When the mill complex was sold for a supermarket, the new owner helped to move the museum to another building on the site. This meant taking the engines apart and rebuilding them again.

The museum now occupies a Victorian warehouse that once stored bales of raw cotton for Atlas Mills, with good natural light and crane coverage for heavy parts. A boiler house was added in 2006 so that engines can run in steam on special steam days, and some engines can also be turned over using electric motors on ordinary open days.

The collection of about 30 engines includes a large beam engine, a very rare twin-beam engine, a vertical engine built by Musgraves of Bolton, and a small engine that once drove Fred Dibnah's workshop. The museum is a registered charity and is run entirely by volunteers.

Highlights

• One of the largest collections of working mill engines in Britain
• Steam days when all the engines run in steam
• Large beam engines and a very rare twin-beam engine
• Vertical engine built by Musgraves of Bolton
• Small engine that once drove Fred Dibnah's workshop
• Volunteers who explain the engines

Permanent exhibition

• Mill engine collection – About 30 stationary steam engines from textile mills, including beam engines, vertical engines and a small engine that once drove Fred Dibnah's workshop.

Operated by

Northern Mill Engine Society

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

No admission charge. Donations are welcome and help to pay for the gas and oil needed on steam days.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The main displays are on one level with a smooth concrete floor, and there is unobstructed access for wheelchairs and pushchairs. A lift serves the small mezzanine and balcony areas. The entrance is a wide double door, and a separate door from the Blue Badge car park can be opened on request. A small visitors' car park next to the museum has Blue Badge spaces and a level 25 m path to the entrance. The accessible toilet needs no key and can also be used for baby changing. Information panels use large text. Tours with live commentary can be arranged for visitors with visual impairments, and chairs are provided around the museum. The building has no heating, so it can be cold in winter when the engines are not running.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Family groups are welcome, but children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times because of the moving machinery. Educational worksheets for children are available at the door on request.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the Morrisons site off Chorley Old Road, next to the petrol station, about 1.5 miles north-west of Bolton town centre.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

On steam days there is a small second-hand book stall and a refreshment stall. A souvenir guide to the collection is on sale at the door.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit