Museum of Making

The Museum of Making is an industrial and history museum in Derby, England, located on the former site of Lombe's Mill, a historic silk mill that marks the southern end of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The institution traces its origins to the opening of Derby's Industrial Museum on 29 November 1974. Following a £17 million redevelopment that began in 2016, it reopened under its current name on 21 May 2021. The museum stands on one of the most significant sites in British industrial history: the first successful industrial-scale silk production facility in Britain,ique, whose water-powered Italian-style spinning machines established a model for factory-based manufacturing.

The building that houses the museum was constructed between 1717 and 1721 by George Sorocold for the Lombe brothers beside the River Derwent. John Lombe had copied and improved Italian silk-throwing mechanisms, creating machines capable of producing far greater quantities of silk thread than traditional domestic spinning. The mill was driven by an undershot water wheel on the west side of the building. John Lombe died in 1722 under mysterious circumstances, with speculation that he was poisoned by Italian competitors. After the death of his half-brother Sir Thomas Lombe in 1739, the lease passed through various hands including Richard Wilson of Leeds, and later the Lloyd family. The Taylor family managed the mill until bankruptcy forced them to sell in 1865. Silk production ended around 1908, and after a devastating fire in 1910 destroyed much of the building, it was rebuilt with three floors rather than five. The site was largely forgotten until the electric power station that obscured it was demolished in 1970, leading to its conversion into a museum. The site opened as Derby's Industrial Museum on 29 November 1974. Derby City Council temporarily closed the museum on 3 April 2015 to redirect funds toward redevelopment, releasing £197,000 annually at the cost of 8.6 full-time positions. In October 2016, the £17 million redevelopment began, employing an innovative integrated project insurance procurement model that created a shared-risk, alliance-based contract. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and suppliers entering administration, the alliance delivered the project on time and to budget. The museum reopened as the Museum of Making on 21 May 2021. In its first year, it received a 'Highly Commended' placement in the Museum+Heritage Awards for 'Sustainable Project of the Year', won the National Construction News Awards 'Project of the Year Under £25m', and five Constructing Excellence East Midlands Awards. On 10 May 2022 it was shortlisted for the Art Fund Museum of the Year award. Storm Babet caused flooding in October 2023, leading to closure until 25 January 2024. In August 2025, the museum applied for planning permission to install flood protection in its workshop area.

The Museum of Making presents the industrial heritage of Derby and the Derwent Valley through exhibits that emphasize the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM). Its displays explore the history of manufacturing, engineering innovation, and the social conditions of industrial labour. The collection encompasses the story of silk production, the development of factory systems, and the broader industrial evolution of the region. Given the site's role in early industrialization, the museum interprets both the technological achievements and the human experiences of workers, including the harsh conditions documented by former employee William Hutton and observed visitors such as James Boswell in 1777 and Frederick William Fairholt in 1835. The museum also addresses the labour movements that emerged from this industrial context, including the 1833-1834 disputes that led to the formation of the Grand National Trades Union.

While specific individual artefacts are not detailed in the available sources, the museum's most significant holding is the building itself: Lombe's Mill, reconstructed after the 1910 fire, with the surviving shell of the tower and the outlines of doorways that originally led to five floors. The site contains the physical evidence of the first industrial silk production in Britain, including the location of the water wheel that powered the Italian-style throwing and doubling machines. The museum preserves and interprets this architectural and mechanical heritage as a central exhibit.

The museum occupies Lombe's Mill on the River Derwent in Derby. The original mill building was constructed between 1717 and 1721 to house large-scale silk-throwing machinery, requiring substantial structures and significant power sources. The water wheel was positioned on the west side of the mill, driven by the mill race. After the 1910 fire, which started in the adjacent Sowter Brothers mill and caused the east wall to collapse into the river, the building was reconstructed to its original height but with three floors instead of five. During the 1920s, the building passed to the Electricity Authority and was used partly as stores, workshops, and a canteen, largely hidden from public view by the power station until that structure's demolition in 1970. The redevelopment that created the Museum of Making preserved this historic fabric while adapting it for contemporary museum use. The exhibits are positioned largely on the upper floors to Trent mitigate flood risk, a precaution informed by the October 2023 flooding event.

The Museum of Making is located in Derby, in the East Midlands of England, within the City of Derby local authority area. It is owned and operated by Derby Museums, with information available through derbymuseums.org. The museum sits at the southern terminus of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. It reopened to the public on 21 May 2021 following its major redevelopment and operates as a key cultural institution interpreting Britain's industrial heritage for contemporary audiences.