Weavers' Triangle Visitor Centre

About the museum

The Weavers' Triangle is the modern name for an area on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal that was once at the heart of Burnley's textile industry. The name was first used in the 1970s, when interest grew in preserving the town's industrial heritage, and it refers to the area's roughly triangular shape. Weaving sheds, spinning mills, foundries and houses from the days when Burnley led the world in cotton cloth still stand there, including Slater Terrace, a row of eleven houses above a canal-side warehouse.

The visitor centre grew out of the Burnley Industrial Museum Action Committee, which began in 1977 to campaign for the preservation of the town's heritage. In 1980 the group opened the former canal toll office at Burnley Wharf as a heritage centre, and in the late 1980s the museum expanded into the adjacent canal agent's house. The Weavers' Triangle Trust was formed as a charitable company in 1993, and it also took over the engine house and chimney at nearby Oak Mount Mill.

The centre is in the former Wharfmaster's House and Canal Toll Office. Its displays cover the canal, the cotton industry and daily life in Victorian and Edwardian Burnley, with a Victorian schoolroom, an Edwardian bathroom, a weaver's dwelling and a Victorian parlour. A working model fairground recalls the old Burnley Fair. Display rooms show changing exhibitions of art, crafts and local history.

Oak Mount Mill, begun in 1830, made cotton until 1979. Its restored steam engine from 1887 is now turned by an electric motor and can be seen in action on a few days each year.

Highlights

• Victorian schoolroom, Edwardian bathroom and weaver's dwelling
• Working model fairground based on the old Burnley Fair
• Hands-on weaving and a children's corner
• Oak Mount Mill Engine House with a restored 1887 mill engine
• Canalside walk through the surviving mills and Slater Terrace

Permanent exhibitions

• Period rooms and cotton displays – A Victorian schoolroom, Edwardian bathroom, weaver's dwelling and displays on cotton, the canal and the Weavers' Triangle.
• Oak Mount Mill Engine House – A restored steam mill engine from 1887, driven by an electric motor on open days, beside the town's best surviving mill chimney.

Founded

1980

Operated by

The Weavers' Triangle Trust

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry has been free, with donations appreciated. Group and school visits outside normal hours have carried a charge, so ask when booking.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

Limited disabled access. There is an alternative route for wheelchairs to the canal towpath and the basement rooms, and visitors should ask for assistance. The towpath has level access, and disabled parking is provided at Burnley Wharf. The Oak Mount Mill Engine House is reached by stone steps and is not wheelchair accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Children's corner, trails and quizzes, a chance to try weaving, and a working model fairground.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is on Manchester Road, about 200 yards uphill from the Town Hall. Satnav postcode BB11 1JZ. Oak Mount Mill Engine House (satnav BB11 1RU) is a short walk along the canal towpath.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Light refreshments were served in the Victorian Parlour, and there is a gift shop.

Events & venue rental

The visitor centre is listed as closed for refurbishment and no reopening date has been announced.

Plan your visit