Derby Silk Mill Explained

Derby Silk Mill
Map Type:	United Kingdom Derby Central
Coordinates:	52.9258°N -1.4758°W
Established:	1974
Type:	Industrial museum
Website:	https://www.derbymuseums.org/museum-of-making/

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.

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]

The museum exhibits are largely on the upper floors to reduce the amount of damage that would be done in the case of flooding such as that which occurred in October 2023 due to Storm Babet.^[12] The damage the storm did do closed the museum until 25 January 2024.^[13]

See also

• Listed buildings in Derby (Arboretum Ward)

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

External links

• Derby Museums: The Museum of Making

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Silk Mill . Derby City Council . 2010-05-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090221113752/http://www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/MuseumsGalleries/Derby_Industrial_Museum.htm . 21 February 2009 . dmy-all .
2. Web site: 2010-10-26 . Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods . Derby City Council . 2011-01-04 .
3. Web site: J Royston . 2011-02-25 . Don't allow this valuable museum to be sacrificed . https://archive.today/20120527085009/http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Don-t-allow-valuable-museum-sacrificed/article-3268056-detail/article.html . dead . 2012-05-27 . This Is Derbyshire . 2011-05-26 .
4. News: Derby Silk Mill Participative Design Workshop. Derby Museums. 2017-03-06. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20170307045845/https://www.derbymuseums.org/locations/silk-mill. 7 March 2017. dead.
5. Web site: Stephens . Simon . Derby unveils Museum of Making . Museums Association . 6 October 2021 . 21 May 2021.
6. Web site: Grant . John . Sneak peek inside Derby Silk Mill as £17m overhaul nears completion . Derby Telegraph . 13 January 2020 . 5 January 2020.
7. Web site: Wilson . Antonia . 20 new UK attractions to visit in 2020 . The Guardian . 13 January 2020 . 6 January 2020.
8. Web site: Brand new Museum of Making opens for the first time.
9. Web site: Museums + Heritage Awards 2021 Winners . Museums + Heritage Show Ltd . 6 October 2021.
10. Web site: Collection of awards for Derby's Museum of Making . D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership . 6 October 2021 . 17 September 2021.
11. Web site: Museum of Making shortlisted for £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 | Derby Museums .
12. News: Hawley  . Zena . 21 October 2023 . Uncertainty over damage to flooded Derby Museum of Making after Storm Babet hits city centre. Derby Telegraph  . 22 October 2023.
13. News: Slater  . Nigel  . 25 January 2024 . Derby's Museum of Making reopens after three-month flood closure . BBC News . 25 January 2024 .