Coldharbour Mill

About the museum

There has been a mill on the Coldharbour site since medieval times. In 1797 Thomas Fox bought the land, with its buildings and water wheel, and built a large wool-spinning mill that opened in 1799 to supply his weaving businesses in Somerset. His sons later ran the firm as Fox Brothers, and the mill became part of the growth of factory production in the South West, sending yarn and cloth around the world.

The mill was first powered by a water wheel, with a new one installed in 1821. Steam engines were added in 1865 to meet demand, and at about this time the company changed from woollen to worsted spinning, which gave a finer, higher-quality yarn for its well-known cloths. The Fox family were Quakers, and the museum also looks at their business and social reforms.

Coldharbour Mill opened as a working museum in the early 1980s and is a charity. The 12-acre site includes the Victorian factory with working and static exhibits, the steam complex with boilers and engines, an 18th-century water wheel described as the largest working breast-shot wheel in the UK, and gardens and wetland. Visitors can watch yarn, rugs and fabrics being made, and on steam days the boilers and mill engine are in operation.

Highlights

• Working Victorian woollen mill with spinning and weaving machinery
• Steam complex with Lancashire boilers, mill engine and beam engine on steam days
• Large working water wheel from the 18th century
• Fox Brothers business archive and Quaker history
• 12 acres of mill grounds, sensory gardens and wetland
• Mill shop selling its own yarns, rugs and fabrics

Permanent exhibitions

• The working woollen mill – A Victorian factory with heritage spinning and weaving machinery showing how wool is turned into yarn and cloth.
• Steam complex – Lancashire boilers, the original mill engine and a beam engine, which run on steam days, and the 18th-century water wheel.
• The Fox family and Quaker history – Exhibits on the Fox family businesses and the influence of their Quaker beliefs on social reform.

Founded

1981

Operated by

Coldharbour Mill Trust Ltd (charity no. 1123386)

Admission & discounts

These are the online general admission prices without the optional donation added at checkout; with a donation the adult ticket is £15.40. A special winter ticket was offered while the museum was being redeveloped. Mill members have free entry to general admission and steam days. Steam days and events are priced separately.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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 factory museum has flat access with passenger lifts to each exhibit floor, and the café, shop and toilets are fully accessible with accessible toilets in the café and the shop. The Beam Engine Balcony and the Economiser House in the steam complex can only be reached by steps. The main steam complex is accessible but has ramps and uneven original floors. Media guides with narration are available, including a British Sign Language version.

Kids & families

Family tickets are available, and the mill runs craft workshops and themed event days during the year.

Getting there & parking

The mill is in Uffculme, about 2 miles or 5 minutes from junction 27 of the M5.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

The Grist Mill Café Bar by the water serves cakes, light lunches and hot drinks, with about 30 seats inside and outdoor seating; it offers free unlimited Wi-Fi and is dog friendly. The mill shop sells yarns, rugs and fabrics.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit