Lewis Textile Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lewis Textile Museum |
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Building of the Lewis Textile Museum
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Victorian, palazzo style, ground floor of Regency style |
| Town or city | Blackburn, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°45′00″N 2°29′03″W / 53.7501°N 2.4843°W |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Brick |
| Floor count | 3 |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Textile Museum | |
| Designated: | 19 April 1974 |
| Reference #: | 1273699 |
The Lewis Textile Museum was once a special place in Blackburn, England. It was created thanks to a generous gift from a local businessman named Thomas Boys Lewis. He was a "cotton industrialist," meaning he made his money from cotton factories. The museum was all about showing how textiles (like cloth and fabric) were made, especially in the Blackburn area.
What Was the Lewis Textile Museum?
This museum was set up to teach people about the history of making textiles. Textiles are materials like cloth, fabric, and yarn. Blackburn was a very important center for the cotton industry in the past. The museum showed how machines called looms worked. Looms are devices used to weave thread into fabric.
The museum building itself was quite old and interesting. It was built in a style called Victorian, which was popular when Queen Victoria was on the throne. It also had parts that looked like the Regency style.
A New Home for the Collection
The Lewis Textile Museum closed its doors in 2006. But don't worry, its amazing collection didn't disappear! All the looms and textile machines were moved to a new home. They went to the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.
This new section at the main museum was given a special name: CottonTown. It opened in April 2007. A local politician named Jack Straw officially opened it. He was a MP for the Labour Party, meaning he represented the people of Blackburn in the UK government.
The Museum's Legacy
The closing of the original Lewis Textile Museum was a bit of a surprise to many people. The local newspaper, the Lancashire Telegraph, even wrote about it. However, the move meant that the important history of textiles could still be shared. Now, more people can learn about Blackburn's rich cotton past at the CottonTown gallery.
