The City Mill is a rare surviving example of an urban working corn mill, powered by the fast-flowing River Itchen, which can be seen passing under the mill, thrilling our visitors.
Factory Visits & Industry
Factory Visits & Industry
What are they and what do they involve?
Factories are places in which things are made; the outcomes can be products such as food, technology or clothing, and a visit to a factory can include getting an interesting behind the scenes look at how everyday items are made and learning more about engineering, technology and manufacturing processes.
What are the benefits?
A visit to a factory can be great for increasing students’ respect for things they consider commonplace; for example, learning about the extensive history of minting coins can make you look at the money in your pocket in a brand new way. Factories can also spark an interest in creating and designing for some students – seeing how things are made can encourage others into making their own designs!
What students is it suitable for?
Different factories will be suitable for different groups of students; make sure the main topic and any activities available will engage your pupils!
Costs?
Factory visits will usually have an admission fee, but should generally fall under the £10 mark.
Safety Implications?
If the factory in question is a working one you must be very careful with younger students and make sure they are supervised at all times. Machinery can inflict life-changing injuries in a split second, so brief well and remain vigilant.
Venues for this Category
Corn mill with original wooden machinery in a peaceful riverside setting
An 18th-century corn mill in a peaceful, rural setting. Rebuilt in 1776 on a site marked in the Domesday Book, this substantial mill was extensively repaired in 1994 and still retains its original elm and applewood machinery (now too fragile to be used).
Enjoy a stroll over White Mill bridge or sit in the garden and enjoy the tranquillity of the River Stour.
Working water-powered mill used in the manufacture of linen
Nestling in an idyllic wooded glen offering lovely walks and picnic spots this, the last working water-powered linen beetling mill, offers a unique experience for all the family.
Try some scutching, hackling and weaving as you take part in hands-on demonstrations, against the thundering cacophony of beetling engines.
Famous waterfall and fascinating industrial site with tin workers' exhibition
Set in a steep gorge, this place demonstrates the power of water and its impact on industry.
Our film 'Reflections on Tin' traces its 400-year history, from 1584, including a visit by the famous artist JMW Turner.
18th-century watermill with well-preserved machinery
The mill is a ‘living’ place where the graffitied, lime-washed walls and the ancient hessian sacks mingle with the smell of the timbers and tallow. A lucky survivor, it tells the story of the decline of traditional village work and life.
Flame gasworks is Ireland's sole surviving coal gasworks and is one of only three left in the British Isles. Opened in 1855, it supplied Carrickfergus with gas until 1965 and was closed in 1987. It is now fully restored and was reopened as a visitor and educational attraction in August 2002.
In the Lake District in Cumbria, this extensive working mill produced literally millions of wooden bobbins vital to the Lancashire spinning and weaving industries.
Solihull is the home of Land Rover since production began on the first Land Rover in 1948. The current vehicle line up at Solihull consists of building the Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport. The Solihull site was originally built to build aircraft engines in for WWII.
The Royal Mint is a national treasure, making beautifully crafted coins and medals for countries all over the world. Over a thousand years of craftsmanship and artistry ensures every piece we strike is a long lasting piece of history.
A surprisingly beautiful and fascinating Victorian Pumping Station, that is still operational on ‘steam days’. Learn how it supplied Nottingham with water during the early 1880s. Surrounded by a lovely garden with a lake.
Learn all about how cheese is made through a guided tour of a working dairy, and get to try some of it too. Cheese Experience Days offered for those who want to have a go themselves.
Penydarren was the site where the World's first Steam Engine ran on rails. Designed by Richard Trevithick, in 1804 his steam locomotive hauled a train along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil.
Set in the picturesque valley of the Porter Brook, Shepherd Wheel is a unique working example of Sheffield knife grinding industry.
It was one of many small water-powered grinding workshops along Sheffield's rivers and is the earliest complete example of this industry with evidence dating it back to the 1500s.
Sheffield Industrial Museums are the showcase of Sheffield’s industrial story from early industrialisation to modern times, where ‘Made in Sheffield’ remains a mark of craftsmanship and quality known worldwide.
Discover how steelmaking forged the city of today and its impact on the modern world!
Located in one of the city’s oldest industrial districts, the museum stands on a man-made island over 900 years old.
Kelham Island Museum was opened in 1982 to house the objects, pictures and archive material representing Sheffield’s industrial story.
Discover the craftsmanship and heritage behind Bombay Sapphire at our distillery in the heart of England. Laverstoke Mill in beautiful, rural Hampshire is the setting where you are invited to go behind the scenes as we make our gin in our state-of-the-art distillery.
Fuel learning across the curriculum with a visit to the National Coal Mining Museum and give your pupils a unique experience they will never forget.
Welcome to Wadworthshire
Located in the bustling market town of Devizes, Wiltshire, our Visitor Centre is open Monday to Saturday all year round for you to browse & enjoy. Boasting a free self-guided exhibition of brewing memorabilia, a unique collection of hand painted pub signs, and much more, there really is more to Wadworth than meets the eye.
This is the advanced design and engineering facility and home to Land Rover design. It also boasts the UK's largest hybrid engineering team. It is also the Global headquarters of JLR.
Enjoy the splash of the waterwheel and the sound and smell of grinding corn in this picturesque 19th-century working mill. There is an exhibition on the historical role of the mill and a delightful walkway alongside the mill lade. Schools are welcome by prior appointment. Please allow a minimum of 1 hour for a guided tour which will include a milling demonstration.
Get your hands inky at this living museum of a thriving printing firm in the Borders, whose premises were more or less unchanged for over a century.
Try your hand at being a printer's apprentice to learn the almost forgotten art of letterpress printing and typesetting.
Schools are welcomed and visits are very much tailored to suit the needs and requirements of the school.
This restored historic 18th-century cottage near Glasgow vividly recreates the living and working conditions of a typical handloom weaver. See how a traditional tartan was made 200 years ago, completely by hand using original equipment in a unique setting.
Join us in the historic Potteries: take a tour of our atmospheric Victorian factory, see our beautiful wares being made, then try your hand at decorating your own pot in our studio. Relax in the cafe, wander in the walled garden, then shop for factory seconds or delightful gifts.
Factory Tours
Pages
Featured Provider
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
Login/Sign Up
Latest News
Schoolboy Falls From 60ft Cliff on School Trip
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.