Bakewell Old House Museum 2026
Derbyshire
A fascinating collection of authentic historic textile machinery dating from the 18th to 20th centuries, described as “possibly the UK’s finest collection of working textile machines”, and includes machinery originally from Masson Mills, along with a large collection of other items and artefacts from textile mills all over Britain.
Address: Derby Road Matlock Bath Derbyshire DE4 3PY
Museum: Self-guided Tour: from 23 Mar Mon-Sat 1000-1600. Visitor Centre: Mon-Fri 1000-1400. (Closed 20 Dec-25 Jan 2027.) Visit website or facebook for more details and advance booking.
Visitors to the museum can experience the genuine atmosphere of a working 18th century cotton mill in the original 1783 Masson Mill – the sights, smells and sounds are authentic and evocative.
Masson Mills was built by Sir Richard Arkwright in 1783 to utilise the water power of the River Derwent for the mass production of spun cotton. The entire site is still powered by the River Derwent today producing renewable energy via hydro electric turbines.