Old House Museum, Bakewell
OS Grid Ref:- SK215685
The Old House Museum in Bakewell is situated in the oldest standing building in the town, which dates back to 1534.
The museum houses exhibitions of local life and artefacts, the building is a typical yeoman's house of the sixteenth century and was originally owned by the the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield. There are 10 beamed rooms with massive Tudor fireplaces. The building incorporates a Victorian kitchen, Tudor Parlour and Houseplace. Other rooms have Ashford Marble, lace, toys, china and large collection of cameras and photographs.
The magnificent beamed room, the Solar, displays some of the musems' fascinating costume collection. There is also an Industrial gallery and courtyard featuring stunning, large scale, stainless steel interpretation of Lumford mill wheel
The building was leased in 1777 by Richard Arkwright to house workers for the mill he built in Bakewell. By 1935 the building had deteriorated to a sad state of disrepair and was due to be demolished when it was saved by the Bakewell and District Historical Society and restored. The exterior is of local sandstone but the interior walls are of wattle and daub.
Directions
The museum is close to the centre of Bakewell, around 200 metres from the church. Bakewell lies on the A6 Derby-Manchester road between Matlock and Buxton