Nottingham Industrial Museum

Nottingham Industrial Museum is a nice day out. I was lucky enough to visit on a Sunday so I got to witness the steam engine in full effect. Came with my younger sibling and they enjoyed it too.

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit, I cannot recommend the museum enough. £4 to get in per adult (kids free) and full of amazing local history, the volunteers were great and so helpful and full of passion. The kids did a quiz on the way round which was wonderful in keeping them engaged. It really is a hidden gem that is funded only by your entry fee and ran by volunteers. Please support and give it a visit.

Visited here on one of their steaming days (always the last Sunday of the month with a few extra dates - see their website) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The volunteers were very friendly and knowledgeable, happy to talk about the machines in their care. The beam engine was very graceful and barely made a sound - I must have stood watching it for at least 20 minutes.
Also very interesting was "Mrs Best's Victorian Kitchen" with a fascinating lady who delights in cooking recipes from years gone by. On the day of our visit she was offering Tea Loaf (which was very moist and tasty) together with the story of how tea came to be added to bread (it's to do with dodgy yeast).
As well as the steam engines there is quite a big display of the lace making process that mad Nottingham famous together with stories of some of the people who worked in the lace trade.
Honestly, if you like old machines and a bit of social history, this is well worth a visit.

We visited the industrial museum at the weekend and had a fantastic time! My partner and I had planned on visiting the museum first, then going to the house and seeing the exhibition there in the afternoon but we ended up spending all day in the museum! The exhibits are fantastic and so well maintained, theres a great variety in things to look at and engage with and the signs are very informative. the team members and volunteers are also incredible - we spoke with people in every part of the museum and they were all incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and approachable - and clearly experts in their fields. We had such a fantastic time and will definately return for another day out

We were incredibly fortunate to get Roger as our tour guide and he guided us through the different areas of the museum, he was very knowledgeable, very interesting and it was quite clear that his research was at a very high level. Would recommend to anyone who is interested in technology and industry. One of those museums that you have to visit more than once.

The highlight of my week trip to Nottingham. The first part of the museum was of general interest - transportation, lace making and early telecoms. Then out into the yard and I stepped back in time into a workshop where the volunteer demonstrated how woodworking tools were used and next into a kitchen with a huge range, cake to sample and an amazing volunteer who explained about cooking, washing, ironing and how spices were used. Finally into the steam room with a beam engine (it works but sadly not on the day we visited), a pair of ploughing engines, a Fordson tractor (like my Dad used to drive) and numerous other machines. The volunteer was so knowledgeable and explained everything. I left with a much deeper understanding of how industrialisation has shaped how we live our lives - for better and worse. Afterwards walked in the part, around the lake and saw the deer close up.

Contained interesting exhibits about lace making, clocks and communications, nail making and steam power. What really made it all come to life was the enthusiasm of the volunteers who were all only too happy to give more information about their specialist areas, which made it a fascinating visit. Nice cafe also.

Arrived at 2:30pm on a Saturday afternoon. The entrance fee of £4 per adult, I felt was reasonable. It was interesting to see the various knitting machined used in the local lace industry, and especially interesting to see them in operation. The many information boards added crucial context to the exhibits, enriching the experience.

We had a tour of the room containing the clocks and various communicative items. The speaker was highly knowledgeable, although the tour only covered a handful of the exhibits.

Next we went to the steam hall and toured around the various engines. Again, we were on a tour with a volunteer. We were taken round the exhibits in an order consistent with the evolution of the steam engine. The only real issue was the timekeeping of the tour; it went on for so long that we reached the museum's closing time and were asked to leave before we had a chance to see everything.

However we will likely return within the foreseeable future to see the remainder of the exhibits we missed on this occasion. Hopefully on a steaming day!

Very nice experience at the Nottingham industrial museum. The work and enthusiasm of the volunteers at the museum are fantastic and bring to life this interesting side of history. Especially Roger from the steam engines part of the museum went over and beyond in explaining and going through the development of steam engines and their impact on the world

I went there for the textile gallery where lace and knitting machines are displayed. The experience was wonderful! The curators had been very helpful and patient, explaining how the machines work and gave me a lot of information of the lace and knitting industries back then. They even played different videos for me so I know more about how the machines operate! Worth visiting!