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

Step back in time to discover a restored mill and working forge in this pretty village

Nestling in a valley that reaches down to the sea on east Devon’s dramatic Jurassic Coast, the village of Branscombe is surrounded by picturesque countryside with miles of tranquil walking through woodland, farmland and beach. Branscombe's charming thatched houses, working forge and restored watermill add to the timeless magic of the place.

Founded in 1786 this restored cotton mill - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site - was powered by the river Clyde and is situated close to the Falls of Clyde.

English Heritage stepped in to rescue J. W. Evans Silver Factory in 2008. With the completion of the repairs programme, the site opened to the public in summer 2011.

Established in 1881, J. W. Evans is one of the most complete surviving historic factories in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. To walk into the factory today is to enter a lost industrial world.

An underground wonderland of stalactites, stalagmites, rocks, minerals and fossils. Home to Blue John Stone. The tour takes you to see Aladdin's Cave, Fairyland and the Dream Cave. The most famous formation is "The Stork". Events include an Easter Egg Hunt and at Christmas "Carols by Candlelight".

Pure Quality – Pure Eco – Pure Ingredients

Purity Brewing Company is an award winning craft brewery established in 2005.

When Purity Brewing Company set out the mission was simple: brew great beer without prejudice, with a conscience and with a consistency and an attention to detail, which is second to none.

Victorian style shop filled with memorabilia of Norwich’s most famous export

Colman’s have been making fine quality mustards in Norfolk for 200 years and this tradition is celebrated in Colman’s Mustard Shop & Museum. Housed in the historic Art Nouveau Royal Arcade near Norwich Market, the shop is a careful replica of a Victorian trade premises.

THIS HISTORIC MILL, HOME TO THE JORDAN FAMILY FOR OVER 150 YEARS, WAS REVOLUTIONARY FOR ITS TIME AND COULD BE COMPARED WITH THE DAWN OF THE INTERNET AGE TODAY…

The spectacular entrance is the largest to any cave in Britain. See rope making, the remains of an underground village and find out why it is called "The Devil's Arse"! Guided tours suitable for all ages.

Unusual rock formations, the eerie sound of running water and echoes of a bygone age await you.

Welcome to the Wedgwood Visitor Centre, set in over 240 acres in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside.

Pottery History

Fully restored 18th-century working watermill

Visit this impressive restored 18th-century watermill built on the site of a mill mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086. The mill currently produces stoneground wholemeal flour from organic wheat. The team also pack porridge oats and jumbo oats, and mix and pack their own museli. All are available to buy onsite.

The Victorian sewers beneath Brighton comprise an extensive network of brick-lined tunnels. They are open to the public on pre-booked guided tours and have become a popular tourist attraction.

It is popularly thought that Thomas Crapper invented the W.C., and that the vulgar word for faeces is a derivative of his name, but neither belief is true. However, etymologists attest that the Amercian word, "crapper", meaning the W.C. is directly from his name.

A wonderful world of wheels and water

Come and explore how the curious cogs and machinery of a fully operational watermill work in the grounds of Hardwick Hall.

For centuries, the water wheel at Stainsby Mill has ground flour for the Hall and the estate. The wheel is still turning today, fed by the adjoining Miller's pond. Find out more about this fascinating process at Stainsby Mill.

A 10-km (6.5 mile) underground track between Paddington Station and Whitechapel sorting offices, it was served by a fleet of 2-ft gauge driverless electric trains, once transporting 30,000 mailbags containing four million letters and packets every day.

Working watermill and workshops

This working mill next to the Morden Stream is an atmospheric reminder of the recent past when corn was ground here for the local community. It’s believed that mills have worked in the Tamar valley since medieval times and this watermill dates back to the 19th century. The buildings surrounding the mill were used as stables, cowsheds, a hayloft and a ‘cherry house’ for storing cherries.

18th-century printing press

Take a step back in time and discover a treasure trove of ink, galleys and presses hidden behind an 18th-century shop front in the heart of Strabane, once the famous printing town of Ulster.

Gray’s Printing Press is now being staffed with local volunteers who have gained expert knowledge about the Press.

Miles of mystery and history beneath your feet

Extending some 35km (22 miles), the man-made caves were constructed as an ancient lime and flint mine.

The last working water-driven spade mill in daily use in the British Isles

Hear the hammers, smell the grit and feel the heat of traditional spade-making.

Guided tours vividly capture life during the Industrial Revolution and dig up the history and culture of the humble spade.

Find out the origins of the phrase 'a face as long as a Lurgan spade'.

Jaguars have been manufactured at the 112 acre Castle Bromwich site since 1966. A lot of things are changing on site at the moment as JLR invest £300 million on new body shops and other site developments. We are now a state-of-the-art production facility, building high performance, luxury motor vehicles.

The most famous recording studios in the world

Abbey Road Studios is most closely associated with the Beatles, who recorded almost all of their albums and singles there between 1962 and 1970.

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Latest News

British schoolgirl assaulted on school trip to Iceland

hotel corridor

A viral video shows a black girl being assaulted by a white woman in a corridor.

Police in Iceland are investigating after a British schoolgirl was slapped and chased by a tour guide in a hotel corridor.

The schoolgirl, 13, who attended Harris Girls’ Academy, was assaulted whilst on a school trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. The incident occurred at Hotel Örk, Hveragerdi on 13th October.