Forge Mill Needle Museum
ENTRY
from £2.25
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Redditch
What it’s like
A working needle mill turned museum with Forest School sessions and grounds to explore, coffee and cake included.
This one's built around the old needle scouring mill, so you get the actual machinery and displays that explain how Redditch made its money, plus a play area and Forest School activities for younger children out in the grounds. The waterwheel and Victorian mill machinery are being repaired at the moment, so that bit of the story is on pause, but the rest of the museum and the outdoor space carry on as normal.
Entry's £7.15 for an adult and £2.25 for a child, or £16.50 for a family ticket, which is fair enough for a small museum with grounds attached. The museum, shop and visitor centre run 10am to 4pm daily, with last admission an hour before that, while the grounds and coffee bar stay open until 4.30pm if you fancy a wander after the exhibits shut. If you're there on a Tuesday between April and September, there's a free guided tour of Forge Mill at 11am that's worth timing your visit around.
Wheelchair access is good on the ground floor but the top floor of the museum isn't reachable by wheelchair, though they've put photographs of those displays somewhere accessible instead, which is a decent workaround rather than a real substitute. Parking's free on site with an overspill car park a short walk away, and there are picnic tables dotted round the grounds if you'd rather bring your own lunch than rely on the coffee bar's cakes.
Birthday parties happen here too. The Lego-themed ones take up to 15 kids for £190, covering an hour and a half of activity plus room hire, and from April to October there are Potions Making parties for 12 children aged 5 to 10 in the Forest School area, which sounds like the one to book if you can get the dates to line up.
Facilities
Need to know
- Last entry
- Last admission is one hour before closing time
- Parking
- Free car parking on site, main car park adjacent plus overspill car park a short walk away
- Food
- Coffee bar with hot drinks and homemade cakes available
- Picnics
- Picnic tables available free throughout the grounds
- Wheelchairs
- Most areas accessible to wheelchair users
- Getting there by bus or train
- Redditch train or bus station approximately 20 minutes walk (1 mile)
- Parties
- Lego-themed parties (up to 15 children, 1.5 hours activity plus 2 hours room hire, £190) and Potions Making parties (12 children
- Tuesday guided tours of Forge Mill run at 11am from April to September, free with entry
- The waterwheel and Victorian machinery are out of action while repairs happen
- Grounds and coffee bar stay open half an hour later than the museum itself
- Redditch station is about a mile away, roughly a 20 minute walk if you're coming by train
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£7.15 for an adult, £2.25 for a child, or £16.50 for a family ticket.
What are the opening hours?
Museum, shop and visitor centre run 10am to 4pm daily, with the grounds and coffee bar open until 4.30pm. Last admission is an hour before closing.
Do we need to book ahead?
There's no booking link listed, so it looks like you can turn up during opening hours.
Is it OK for a wheelchair?
Ground floor is fully accessible. The top floor of the museum isn't wheelchair accessible, but there are photographs of those displays available instead.
Is there parking?
Free parking on site, with an overspill car park a short walk away if the main one's full.
What's there for food?
A coffee bar does hot drinks and homemade cakes. Picnic tables are also free to use throughout the grounds.
Can we visit the waterwheel and mill machinery?
Not at the moment, they're currently undergoing repairs.
Do you do birthday parties?
Lego-themed parties for up to 15 children cost £190 and include an hour and a half of activity plus room hire. There are also Potions Making parties for ages 5 to 10, running April to October in the Forest School area.
Is the museum open all year?
It's open daily except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
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