Forge Mill Needle Museum

About the museum

The building began as an iron forge and was converted in 1730 into a scouring mill, where hand-made needles were polished in rotating beds. It later received steam power, in 1870, and remains the only water-powered needle scouring mill still standing in the world. Redditch once produced most of the world's needles, and the mill belonged to this trade until it closed in 1958.

The mill reopened as a museum in 1983 in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II. The lower floor keeps the original scouring machinery, the middle floor holds changing exhibitions and the top floor displays needles, fish hooks, needle cases from Redditch companies and photographs of the industry. The museum uses models, recreated scenes and audio to explain how needles were made. The waterwheel and mill machinery are currently under repair.

The site also includes the Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre. The Cistercian abbey was founded in 1140 by monks from Garendon Abbey and grew wealthy from farming and wool before Henry VIII dissolved it in 1538. The ruins were first excavated in 1864 and a new programme of excavations began in 1969; the visitor centre displays finds and tells the abbey's story.

Highlights

• Only water-powered needle scouring mill left in the world
• Victorian scouring machinery on the lower floor
• Collections of rare needles, fish hooks and needle cases
• Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre and the abbey ruins
• Free play area, grounds and coffee bar

Permanent exhibitions

• Forge Mill scouring mill – Original Victorian needle scouring machinery on the lower floor of the water-powered mill, with models and recreated scenes of needle making.
• Needle and fish hook collections – The top floor displays unusual and rare needles, fish hooks, needle cases from Redditch companies and photographs of the needle industry.
• Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre – Finds from the excavations and the story of the Cistercian abbey from its foundation in the twelfth century to its destruction in 1538.

Founded

1983

Admission & discounts

The ticket covers the Forge Mill Needle Museum, the Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre and the current special exhibition. The abbey ruins, grounds, coffee bar, play area and gift shop are free. Some events and workshops have separate prices.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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

A sloped ramp with handrails leads to the main doors. The main gallery, the basement and the ground floor of the scouring mill are accessible without stairs, but the top floor of the museum and the top floor of the scouring mill (steep winding stairs) are not suitable for wheelchair users; a tablet guide shows the upper-floor exhibits. At the Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre the ground floor and cloister are accessible, while the top floor is reached by stairs only. The abbey ruins are over uneven ground. Accessible toilet facilities are available, and Braille and large-type guides can be requested.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

The free play area has a sandpit with two diggers, a multi-play unit with a slide, swings and an accessible play unit, close to the coffee bar. Family events include a pumpkin trail, drop-in crafts and workshops in the autumn half-term, and children's parties can be booked.

Getting there & parking

A taxi from the station is another option.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Coffee bar with hot and cold drinks, homemade cakes, ice creams and light refreshments, with covered seating in the cloisters. Gift shop with needle-related souvenirs and John James needles. Free picnic tables in the grounds; toilets on site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 30 guests.

The Woodward Function Room in a 16th-century barn seats 30 people and costs £19 per hour during museum opening hours and £36 per hour outside them. The covered cloisters, the play area and children's parties can also be booked.

Plan your visit