Derby Silk Mill
Derby Silk Mill, formerly known as Derby Industrial Museum, is a museum of industry and history in Derby, England. The museum is located on the former site of Lombe's Mill, a historic silk mill which marks the southern end of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The site opened as Derby’s Industrial Museum, on 29 November 1974. A £17 million redevelopment scheme started in 2016, and the museum reopened under the new name of the Museum of Making on 21 May 2021.
![]() The museum and the River Derwent | |
![]() ![]() Location within central Derby | |
Established | 1974 |
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Location | Derby, England |
Coordinates | 52.925833°N 1.475833°W |
Type | Industrial museum |
Website | https://www.derbymuseums.org/museum-of-making/ |
History
The site was adapted for use as Derby’s Industrial Museum, which opened on 29 November 1974. Derby City Council temporarily closed the museum on 3 April 2015[1] to free funds for the redevelopment of the Silk Mill museum and other museums in the city. The Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods (Item 7 put before the Council Cabinet meeting held on 26 October 2010) indicated that this would result in the loss of 8.6 full-time jobs but would release £197,000 a year to mitigate the loss of "Renaissance Programme" funding. No date for re-opening was given in the report,[2] although a period of two years was reported.[3]
Museum of Making
In October 2016, a £17 million redevelopment programme started to reinvent and redevelop the museum for the 21st century, incorporating the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM).[4] The museum reopened on 21 May 2021 under the new name of the Museum of Making.[5][6][7][8]
In its first year of opening the new Museum of Making received a 'Highly Commended' placement in the annual Museum+Heritage Awards within the category 'Sustainable Project of the Year'.[9] In September 2021 it also won the National Construction News Awards on the category 'Project of the Year Under £25m', as well as five further awards in the Constructing Excellence East Midlands Awards.[10] On 10 May 2022 it was announced that the Museum of Makinig was short-listed for the 2022 Art Fund Museum of the Year award.[11]
References
- "The Silk Mill". Derby City Council. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- "Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods". Derby City Council. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- J Royston (25 February 2011). "Don't allow this valuable museum to be sacrificed". This Is Derbyshire. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- "Derby Silk Mill Participative Design Workshop". Derby Museums. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- Stephens, Simon (21 May 2021). "Derby unveils Museum of Making". Museums Association. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- Grant, John (5 January 2020). "Sneak peek inside Derby Silk Mill as £17m overhaul nears completion". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- Wilson, Antonia (6 January 2020). "20 new UK attractions to visit in 2020". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- "Brand new Museum of Making opens for the first time".
- "Museums + Heritage Awards 2021 Winners". Museums + Heritage Show Ltd. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- "Collection of awards for Derby's Museum of Making". D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- "Museum of Making shortlisted for £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 | Derby Museums".

Further reading and sources of information
- H. E. Butterton (1997), Struck out! Derby in Crisis: the Silk Mill Lock-Out 1833-4, Derby
- Derby Evening Telegraph and Derby Library Service (1999), Derby Industrial Museum
- Bill Whitehead (2001), The Derby Lock-Out and the origins of the labour movement