Museum of Bath at Work facts for kids
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| Established | 1978 |
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| Location | Bath, Somerset |
The Museum of Bath at Work is a cool local history museum. You can find it in Bath, Somerset, England. It shows how people in Bath have worked and earned a living for over 2,000 years!
Contents
Discovering Bath's Working Past
This museum helps you explore the history of jobs and businesses in Bath. It's a great place to see what life was like for workers long ago. You can learn about different trades and industries that made Bath grow.
How the Museum Started
The museum began in 1978. It was first called the Bath Industrial Heritage Trust. A local businessman bought everything from an old company. This company was Jonathan Burdett Bowler's engineering and mineral water business. It had been around since 1872.
When Bowler's business closed in 1969, its contents were saved. People used old photos to rebuild the shop and workshops. They also recreated the offices and bottling plant. More than 10,000 bottles and thousands of documents were kept safe. These items became the museum's first collection.
Amazing Exhibits to See
The Museum of Bath at Work has many interesting displays. They show how Bath developed over two thousand years.
The Bowler Business
You can see a full reconstruction of the Bowler company. This includes their shop and where they made things. You'll also see their offices and the bottling plant. It's like stepping back in time to the 1800s!
Other Cool Recreations
- Cabinet Maker's Workshop: See how a cabinet maker used to work. You can imagine them crafting beautiful furniture.
- Bath Stone Quarry: There's a part of a Bath Stone quarry face. It even has a crane and tools. This shows how the famous Bath stone was dug out.
Special Vehicles and Engines
- Rare Horstmann Car: In 1999, the museum got a very rare car. It's a 1914 Horstmann car. Imagine driving a car from over 100 years ago!
- Griffin Six-Stroke Gas Engine: The museum also has a super rare engine. It's a Griffin six-stroke gas engine built in 1885. There are only two known examples of this engine in the world! It used to be in the Birmingham Museum of Science and Technology.
'Bath at Work' Exhibition
In 2003, a big exhibition opened. It's called 'Bath at Work: 2000 Years of Earning a Living'. This display shows how people in Bath have worked for centuries.
Hudson Gallery
The Hudson Gallery opened in 2007. It has a local history display. This gallery often changes its collection of photographs. You can always see something new there!
The Museum Building's History
The building where the museum is located is called Camden Works. It was built way back in 1777. Guess what it was used for? It was a court for playing real tennis! That's a very old indoor game.
