Museum of Making

Over het museum

The museum occupies Derby's Silk Mill, which stands on the River Derwent at the southern end of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The site is widely regarded as the home of one of the world's first modern factories, and its silk mill dates from the early 18th century. A museum of industry and technology opened in the building in 1974 and closed temporarily in 2015.

A redevelopment costing about £17 million began in 2016, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Derby City Council and other funders. The building was reorganised around the idea of making, with science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics linked together. It reopened on 21 May 2021 as the Museum of Making. Flooding in October 2023 closed it again until January 2024.

The collections cover Derby's industrial history and the people involved in it, with around 30,000 objects on display. Objects are arranged by material in the Assemblage, which works like an open store, while other galleries look at the original mill machinery, Rolls-Royce engineering and the railways. A fully equipped public workshop invites visitors to become makers themselves, and the Civic Hall is dominated by a seven-tonne Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine suspended above the visitors.

Hoogtepunten

• Seven-tonne Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine hanging in the Civic Hall
• The Assemblage, an open-store display of objects arranged by material
• The Flight Deck, on Rolls-Royce and aero engines
• Railways Revealed, on Derby's role in railway history
• The world's smallest engine, run using a human hair

Vaste collectie

• The Assemblage – An open-store style display of the Collections of Making, arranged by the main material of each object.
• The Flight Deck – The story of Rolls-Royce, linked with remarkable objects across the museum.
• Railways Revealed – How Derby shaped the world through the railways.

Opgericht

1974

Beheerder

Derby Museums Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Entry is free, except for some temporary exhibitions.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The museum is described as fully wheelchair accessible, and staff can give assistance if needed. Four accessible parking bays on Silk Mill Lane are reserved for Blue Badge holders. A sensory story for pre-visit information, a gallery guide, a floor plan and an access statement are published on the Derby Museums website.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Doe- en voelstations

The museum describes itself as a place with something for everyone, and the River Kitchen is family friendly. Workshops, activities and events for families and a learning programme for schools.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Follow the brown signs for Derby Silk Mill. The entrance is the large glass atrium reached across Cathedral Green, by the Bakewell Gates. The museum is on cycle routes 6, 54 and 68, with outdoor bicycle parking.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel

The River Kitchen, a family-friendly cafe serving seasonal local food. The Shop Floor with gifts, books and STEAM toys, and The Hub on the third floor, which sells work by around 20 selected makers.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen

Spaces include the Italian Mill, the Civic Hall, the Loom Room and River Room, the Prospect and the Loft, with catering by the River Kitchen. Contact: venuehire@derbymuseums.org.

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