Museum of Bath at Work

There can be few more unusual venues for a museum in England - the Museum of Bath at Work is housed in an 18th-century real tennis court. The museum traces the history of retail and manufacturing in the Bath area since the 17th century, and more generally, how people lived and worked in Bath since Roman times.

The centrepiece of the museum is an exact recreation of the Bowler engineering and soft drinks factory, which takes up an entire floor. Other recreations include a cabinetmakers workshop, a Bath stone mine, and a Bath Chair exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851. There is an unusual 1914 Horstmann automobile with a kick-start motor, and a self-winding clock of 1866.

In addition, the museum houses a huge repository of records, including photos, manuscripts, films, and sound recordings, with interviews of over 400 city workers. As a historical record, the Museum of Bath at Work offers a unique glimpse into the history of the city.

The museum is usually open daily April-October, but weekends only Nov-March (closed December).