Helmshore Mills Textile Museum
With a National Art Pass you get
Explore working wool & cotton mills at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum in the Rossendale Valley. See historic machinery in action and learn about Lancashire's textile background.
Demonstrating nationally important textile machinery in an atmospheric building, the museum tells the fascinating roles of wool and cotton in the Industrial Revolution.
Two mills
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum in Lancashire offers a unique opportunity to delve into Britain's industrial past. The museum comprises two historic working mills. Higher Mill showcases the traditional methods of wool processing, including water wheels, fulling stocks, and even clay pots used to collect ammonia for the fulling process. Whitaker Mill brings the cotton industry to life with its spinning machines that whir to life during demonstrations.
Bringing history to life
Interactive exhibits allow visitors to get hands-on and experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a working mill. See textile history brought to life with the waterwheel, carding engines and spinning mules. Learn how life would have been for the workers and see the spectacular spinning floor with all the same machinery as when they worked there.
Events
The museum has an extensive events programme includes a wide variety of activities, from family fun trails to history and nature walks, as well as live music evenings.
For those interested in following the thread further - the museum’s sister site, Queen Street Mill in Burnley, is the last operational steam-powered weaving mill in the world.
Visitor information
Address
Helmshore Mills Textile Museums, Holcombe Road, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 4NP
01706 226459
Opening times
The museum has variable seasonal opening times, please visit the website or call 01706 226459 for full details.
Visitor information
The more you see, the more we do.
The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.