Museum of Making Museum

Address: Museum of Making (Derby Silk Mill), Derby, England, UK

Website: https://museumofmaking.org.uk

The Museum of Making is a museum and cultural space housed in the historic Derby Silk Mill on the River Derwent in Derby, England. It is dedicated to the city’s industrial heritage, applied arts and contemporary making practices.

Exhibits combine historical objects, interactive displays and live workshop spaces to illustrate manufacturing, engineering and craft traditions from the local region. The facility places emphasis on hands-on activities and rotating displays rather than a single static collection.

The museum occupies the Silk Mill building, which is part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and interprets the site’s role in early industrial textile manufacture. The museum functions as both gallery and working maker space, hosting demonstrations, education programmes and temporary exhibitions.

The site sits on the River Derwent in central Derby and is integrated with riverside paths and nearby heritage attractions.

• Location context: Located on the River Derwent and part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage context, the building interprets local industrial and manufacturing history.
• Visitor focus: The museum emphasises hands-on making and rotating displays rather than a single large permanent collection, with regular workshops and activity programmes.

What to See#

• Derby Silk Mill: Derby Silk Mill building on the River Derwent, the historic industrial structure that houses the museum and interprets local manufacturing history.
• Workshops and maker spaces: On-site maker and workshop spaces designed for hands-on activities, demonstrations and temporary project installations.

The Museum of Making is in the Derby city centre at the Derby Silk Mill on the River Derwent. It is about a 10-15 minute walk (roughly 0.8-1.0 km) from Derby railway station-follow city centre signs toward the river and Cathedral Quarter.

Derby bus station is adjacent to the city centre and many local bus routes stop nearby; there is limited on-street and nearby car parking for visitors.

• Book a morning weekday visit when the galleries and maker spaces are least crowded and you'll have a better chance to join live demonstrations or speak with resident makers.
• Enter via the Silk Mill/Museum of Making riverside entrance and check the day's workshop timetable on arrival-many smaller hands-on sessions and maker talks run on a tight schedule and can fill up.
• Allow time for the working studios and temporary displays, which are central to the museum's concept but are often passed by visitors who focus only on the historic exhibits.