Museum of Bath at Work
About
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, Victorian engineering to modern high 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, as well as a large archive of film, photography, artefacts and sound recordings relating to the commercial development of the city. Highlights of the collection 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 cafe, shop, temporary exhibition space and children's play area, and audio guides are available.
TripAdvisor Ranking
#23 of 123 things to do in Bath
Most Recent Traveller Reviews
- 3 Mar 2019: There was really nothing about this place that was of interest to us.. wish we had skipped this one and saved a few bucks.
- 30 Oct 2018: Perfect visit for finding out more about how work and life used to be. Fortunately recorded and faithfully reproduced, this factory and ginger beer establishment was a good way to spend a few hours...
- 26 Sep 2018: I absolutely LOVED my visit to this museum. If you like Victorian social history and engineering, a treat is in store for you. The museum recreates a Victorian engineer's shop, office, metal...
