Private Guided Tour Forge Mill Needle Museum and Bordesley Abbey
Overview
This event is in the process of being postponed. If you were interested in booking, please add yourself to the waiting list and we will let you know once a new date has been arranged.
Spice Exclusive Tour!
Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch is an unusual and fascinating place to visit. This historic site illustrates the rich heritage of the needle and fishing tackle industries. Models and recreated scenes provide a vivid illustration of how needles were once made, and how Redditch once produced 90% of the world’s needles.
On the same site, just a very short walk from Forge Mill Museum, are the ruins of Bordesley Abbey – a medieval Cistercian Abbey which has been extensively excavated.
Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre, which is set in an original reconstructed 16th century barn, tells the extraordinary story of the Abbey from its development in the 12th century to its destruction in 1538 by Henry VIII during the dissolution.
One of the most unique museums in Worcestershire and the West Midlands, the museum also has an excellent Coffee Bar and a superb Gift Shop selling souvenirs and a good selection of the finest quality needles, many of which are locally produced.
The plan is to have our tours and then have a light lunch in the coffee bar.
Please check out the 'Is This For Me' section for information about accessibility.
Includes
- Guided tour of the Needle Museum
- Guided Tour of Bordesley Abby
- Service of your volunteer Spice coordinator.
Extras
There is a coffee bar and shop on site.
Location & Itinerary
Forge Mill Needle Museum
The Museum is housed in what was once a Victorian Needle Mill which means it is a typical three-story building with stairs. However, most parts of the museum are accessible and there is a slope leading to the main doors which does have hand rails on both sides. This leads into the main gallery where our temporary exhibitions are held, which is no problem for wheelchair/mobility scooter access and there are no stairs to negotiate.
The Basement (where we start the story of how a needle was made) is also accessible avoiding stairs. The staff are happy to show you the alternative route into the basement.
The Scouring Mill where you see the waterwheel machinery and scouring beds has two floors connected by some steep winding stairs. The ground floor of the scouring mill is fully accessible by wheelchair/mobility scooter. The top floor shows just the same scouring beds that you will see on the ground floor and is accessible for those with limited mobility issues.
The Top Floor of the museum, unfortunately, is not accessible to wheelchair users. But we have developed an Interactive Guide to the top floor – funded by a grant from the Worshipful Company of Needlemakers – which shows photographs of all the exhibits which are in the cases and also the beautiful company needle/fishing tackle displays.
The Guide, which runs on a tablet, also shows video clips that talk about some of the exhibits in more detail as well as showing the Introductory DVD (that all our customers see) and an extra DVD that charts the history of needle making from medieval times through to modern production methods.
Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre
The visitor centre is situated in what once was a medieval barn.
All the Ground Floor is accessible by wheelchair users; however access to the Top Floor is only by a staircase. We have a book which shows photographs of the displays on the top floor.
The Cloister Area – where we have the large medieval timbers on display – is also fully accessible to wheelchair users.
Bordesley Abbey
The ruins of the medieval Abbey are in the meadows adjacent to the museums’ grounds.
There is a path that leads to the Abbey, but it is over uneven ground due to the nature of the site. Once inside the ruins, the ground is again exposed and uneven in places.
From North of Redditch
Leave the M42 motorway at Junction 2 (Hopwood Services), and take the A441 south (signed to Redditch). Follow the A441 for approx 3.5 miles. Immediately on passing the Premier Inn hotel and Beefeater restaurant on your left, you will arrive at a large roundabout (the ‘Sainsbury’s roundabout’). Take the first exit, onto Millrace Road (signed to Riverside/Abbeydale). Then take the second turning on your left, into Needle Mill Lane.
From South of Redditch
Follow the A435 heading north. Shortly after passing through Mappleborough Green, take the A4023 (signed to Redditch). Follow the A4023 straight on for approx 2 miles, then take the exit signed for A441*. At the roundabout, take the third exit, now following the A441 (signed to Birmingham). You will shortly arrive at a large roundabout (the ‘Sainsbury’s roundabout’). Take the fourth exit, onto Millrace Road (signed to Riverside/Abbeydale). Then take the second turning on your left, into Needle Mill Lane.
* Note: Don’t worry if you miss this exit. You will therefore arrive at the start of the Redditch Ringway. Simply follow the Ringway all the way round to the end, and turn left to join the A441 (signed to Birmingham).
By Train or Bus
Take the train to Redditch train station (the last stop on the cross city line) or a bus to the adjacent Redditch bus station (also the entrance to the Kingfisher Shopping Centre). From there, follow the walking directions described, or take a taxi from the station to the museum. It is a relatively flat walk of approximately 20 minutes (1 mile) from Redditch Train or Bus Station.
Host & Everything Else
Gallery
