Contents
6 Reasons to Visit the Bradford Industrial Museum
There isn’t much that sets Bradford apart these days, but the Bradford Industrial Museum certainly does. It’s the best museum in the city, and one of the best in the county.
Set inside Moorside Mills, which was built around 1875 as a small worsted spinning mill, the museum has permanent displays of cars, textile machinery, steam power, engineering and printing to celebrate Bradford’s industrial heritage. The museum has more than just objects to look at. It’s a sensory experience of the sights, sounds, and smells of the Industrial Revolution.
1 | It’s Free
Thanks to Bradford Council’s Museums and Galleries service, the museum is free to enter. They aim to make local heritage accessible, and they do a fantastic job. There’s quite a lot to see inside the museum, and a remarkable amount for them to look after and maintain. And while admission is free, donations are welcome. There’s also a gift shop and cafe, so you can show your support by buying a gift or a coffee.
We firmly believe that these kinds of museums should be free. After all, they help tell the story of the working class whose hands built and operated these places, and free access helps protect the principle that this heritage belongs to the public, not to those who can pay for the privilege.
2 | The Wool Capital of the World
Bradford was considered the wool capital of the world, famous for producing worsted cloth, and in the 19th century, Bradford processed two-thirds of England’s wool. The museum helps tell this story, from its beginnings as a cottage industry to its growth into a global powerhouse.
Inside, you’ll find plenty of examples of the machinery, and you’ll get an idea of what a mill might have looked like, along with the conditions the workers would have expected to work in.
3 | There’s a Blacksmith
Museums are great, especially the free ones, but they are often just filled with inanimate objects. The Bradford Industrial Museum goes beyond this in many ways, including the blacksmith’s forge. In the forge, which you will encounter as you leave the car park (it’s not accessible from inside the museum), you will see live demonstrations of the blacksmith at work, making a few small items.
A blacksmith is the epitome of industrial craftsmanship, and it’s quite the experience to see them hammering away at a piece of metal to turn it into something useful.
The blacksmith isn’t there every day, so it’s worth checking when someone is around if you want to hear metal clanging, sparks flying, or even have a friendly chat about all things blacksmithing.
4 | Machines That Move
Second to the blacksmith, there are plenty of other examples of moving things in the museum. In the textile galleries, volunteers run working spinning frames, power looms, and down in the printing presses, you’ll find a printer, giving you a sense of how cottage‑industry handwork evolved into mill production.
Inside the Motive Power Gallery, you’ll see steam, oil, and gas engines maintained in running condition, including the impressive Linton uniflow steam engine, which was one of the last to be built in Bradford.
5 | The Jowett Cars Exhibition
This is perhaps our favourite part of the museum, thanks to our fondness for cars. You’ll see a line of beautiful machines, most of which are Jowett, a brand you are likely to have never heard of.
Founded in 1901, they became known for building reliable, small, tough, and cleverly engineered vehicles that suited the steep hills and tight streets of West Yorkshire. Production ended in the mid‑1950s, but you can still see a series of these beautiful little cars in what is one of our favourite parts of the museum. In this gallery, you’ll also find vintage motorbikes, bicycles, a steamroller, and even a steam train.
6 | The Station Manager’s House
The Station Manager’s House is a fully furnished Victorian home that once belonged to the manager of Moorside Mills, recreated room by room to show how a senior mill employee lived compared with the workers whose labour powered the industry, of which you can see examples in the terraces before you get to the Station Manager’s House.
The house is quite a contrast to the mill, with a domestic world of polished furniture, patterned wallpaper, and well-curated parlours.
Visitor Information
📍 Moorside Mills, Moorside Road, Eccleshill, Bradford, BD2 3HP
💷 Free
🕙 Mon: closed
Tue – Fri: 10 am – 4 pm
Sat – Sun: 11 am – 4 pm
📞 01274 435900
Gallery
Below are a few pictures from the museum. To see more, head over to the Bradford Industrial Museum Gallery.
To keep up with our travels, please subscribe to our mailing list. We won’t spam you; we’ll only contact you with exciting news and new stuff! Enter your email in the box below and hit subscribe!
