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Colne Valley Museum facts for kids

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Colne Valley Museum
ColneValleyMuseum(RLH).JPG
Colne Valley Museum, Golcar
Established 1887
Location Cliffe Ash, Golcar, Huddersfield, HD7 4PY
Type Textile, Crafts

The Colne Valley Museum is a special place in Golcar, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It's located in the beautiful Colne Valley. This museum is made up of four old cottages from the 1800s. These cottages used to be homes for people who worked as weavers.

When you visit, you can see what life was like for a weaver back in the 1850s. The museum has different rooms to explore. You can find a workshop where clogs were made. There's also a room with a handloom for weaving cloth. You can see a spinning room and a cropping room. Plus, there are old kitchens and living rooms to discover. The museum is run completely by amazing volunteers.

The Museum's Story

The four cottages that make up the museum were built in the 1840s. They were built by James and Sally Pearson. They were independent cloth makers. The cottages were built on a steep hillside. This meant they had two entrances. One entrance was for the lower rooms. Another separate entrance led to the upper floor at the back.

In 1970, three of these cottages were turned into the museum. The cottages were originally called Spring Rock.

What You Can See at the Museum

The museum has several rooms that have been carefully restored. They look just like they did in the past. These rooms are also used for special temporary exhibits.

Some of the things you can always see include:

  • A handloom for weaving fabric.
  • A spinning jenny, which is a machine for spinning thread. This machine was invented by James Hargreaves.
  • A weaver's sitting room, showing how they lived.
  • A clog-maker's shop, lit by gas lamps.

Visiting the Museum

The museum welcomes school groups from Monday to Friday. Children visiting with their schools can even dress up in old-fashioned clothes. This helps them imagine life in the 19th century.

On some weekends, the museum opens for everyone. Volunteers give demonstrations and put on exhibitions. They show how different crafts were done in the 1800s.

See also

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