Derby Silk Mill


Derby Silk Mill, formerly known as Derby Industrial Museum, is a museum of industry and history in Derby, England. The museum is located on the former site of Lombe's Mill, a historic silk mill which marks the southern end of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The site opened as Derby’s Industrial Museum, on 29 November 1974. A £17 million redevelopment scheme started in 2016, with the museum due to reopen under the new name of the Museum of Making in autumn 2020.

History

The site was adapted for use as Derby’s Industrial Museum, which opened on 29 November 1974.
Derby City Council temporarily closed the museum on 3 April 2015 to free funds for the redevelopment of the Silk Mill museum and other museums in the city. The Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods indicated that this would result in the loss of 8.6 full-time jobs but would release £197,000 a year to mitigate the loss of "Renaissance Programme" funding. No date for re-opening was given in the report, although a period of two years was reported.

Redevelopment

In October 2016 a £17 million redevelopment programme started to reinvent the museum for the 21st century, incorporating the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. The museum is scheduled to reopen in the summer of 2020 under the new name of the Museum of Making.