Museum of Bath at Work
About
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Museum of Bath at Work is currently closed. Please check directly on their website and/or social media channels for the latest updates and booking information.
Housed in a former Real Tennis court dating from 1777, the Museum of Bath at Work celebrates 2,000 years of Bath's working heritage; from Roman tourism to eighteenth-century building, and from Victorian engineering to modern technology.
The centrepiece of the Museum of Bath at Work, covering an entire floor, is a reconstructed Victorian soft drinks factory, complete with office, workshop and bottling plant. Other exhibits exploring Bath’s industrial and commercial heritage include a reconstructed Bath Stone mine, ironmonger's shop and cabinet maker's workshop.
The museum is also home to a 1914 Horstmann car, a Bath Chair which was displayed at the Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851, a Pitman Shorthand version of The Hound of the Baskervilles and a unique self-winding clock built in the city in 1866.
There is also a large archive of film, photography, artefacts and sound recordings relating to the commercial development of the city. Highlights include 40,000 glass plate negatives from the local engineering firm Stothert & Pitt and over 400 taped interviews with local workers.
The museum has a self-service café, shop, temporary exhibition space and children's play area, and audio guides are available.
TripAdvisor Ranking
#18 of 173 things to do in Bath
Most Recent Traveller Reviews
- 21 Oct 2020: Realistically people spend a majority of their time at work so seeing old workplace practices certainly is of historical significance. It's a very good collection and some of the machinery can still...
- 17 Oct 2020: Not the most interesting museum I have visited, but by far not the worst. It is what it says on the door, if this does not appeal to you from that, then stay away.
- 22 Sep 2020: Found this very quirky museum just off the centre of Bath, interesting to learn about Mr Bowler and how much he brought to Bath! Unfortunately the upper floor was shut but the lady at the desk was...
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