About us

The Museum of Bath at Work is run by Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd, and was set up in 1978.

Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd has a Board of volunteer Trustees and just one paid employee, the Museum Director. The charity is currently fund-raising to secure the future of the Museum and its collections. We aim to increase our income from all sources to ensure our success for the next 40 years and beyond.

We benefit from long association with, and the most generous support from, a Charitable Trust which wishes to remain anonymous. We also acknowledge a generous gift in memory of the late Dr. Marianna Clark, one of the founders of the Museum.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of:

“The Museum collection was initially built around the workshops, equipment, and stock of J.B. Bowler’s mineral water factory in Avon Street, which closed in 1969 when the premises was due for demolition. Local people, led by Russell Frears and Dr. Marianna Clark, worked tirelessly for several years to save the contents of Bowlers and to find it a permanent home. Bath Industrial Heritage Trust was set up to manage the Museum.”

“The unusual Grade II listed museum building was acquired on a long lease from the then Bath City Council in the late 1970s. Interior alterations were made to accommodate the Museum collections. It was built as a Real Tennis Court in 1777; the building has nineteenth-century additions dated around 1830 when it was converted to a brewery.”

Board of Trustees

“The Museum of Bath at Work is operated by Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd, a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. There are eight Trustees who are Directors of the company, and one salaried employee, the Museum Director.”

We currently have vacancies for Trustees. Please click here for further information.

Trevor, an economics graduate from  Bath University, found his passion for Industrial Archaeology through mentor Angus Buchanan.
After a season as a stage carpenter at the Liverpool Playhouse, he managed river pollution on the Bristol Avon for the Bristol  Avon River Authority and subsequently Wessex Water Authority.  Further studies in Environmental Pollution Control led to a 30-year career as an environmental consultant, based in Bath, specialising in Environmental Impact Assessment of major infrastructure projects.  He served on the Board of the Institute of Environmental Assessment, was Director of Studies on the MSc Environmental Management at Bath University, and co-authored the esteemed Environmental Impact Assessment Handbook.  His academic pursuits expanded into Arts, Design, and the History of Technology, via the Open University, culminating in a doctorate at Manchester University on engineers’ approach to the environment.  An enjoyable Masters at Bath Spa University in literature, landscape and environment led to a dissertation on tracing London’s forgotten rivers through literature.  Trevor has also authored "Dam" (Reaktion Books, 2008) and booklets for the Museum of Bath at Work.
With diverse interests including vintage cars and Charlton Athletic, he joined the Museum’s Trustees in 2007, now serving as Chair of Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd.

Ann started her career as an art history lecturer before moving to office management in the voluntary sector. With over two decades in local government across Swindon and Bath, she has worked in arts development, tourism, and event management, handling tasks from procurement to supporting voluntary organisations. Notably, she led Bath & North East Somerset Council’s World War 1 Centenary commemorations from 2014 to 2019, and wrote the souvenir publication. Active in several community groups in Bath including Friends of Bath Jewish Burial Ground CIO, she also volunteers as a Bath BID Welcome Ambassador. Fascinated by her family’s history, which includes various small businesses like pubs and tin-plate manufacturing, she feels a strong connection to Bath’s diverse trades showcased in the Museum of Bath at Work.

Sara’s affiliation with the Museum traces back to her father, Russell Frears, one of its founders, embedding the institution in her life since its inception in 1978. She studied Zoology at Aberystwyth and Aberdeen, followed by research roles in Aberdeen and Pretoria, South Africa. After teaching at the University of Otago, NZ until 1998, she focused on family responsibilities, including a house renovation in Bristol and raising children. Transitioning to education, she became a Museum Educator in Bristol City Museums from 2013. Sara’s career also includes a stint as a Family Support Practitioner, specializing in domestic abuse, and serving for many years as a school governor. Beyond work, she indulges in singing, piano, gardening, walking (especially with a dog), and baking bread, while supporting her adult children’s endeavours.

Edward is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and has worked for the last 30 years at Bath- based family firm Cross Manufacturing Co (1938) Ltd which makes specialised metallic seals and retaining rings for the Aerospace, Automotive and Power Generation Industries worldwide. He has been a director of the firm since 1999, which now has factories on three sites in the South West with over 500 employees. He was introduced to the Museum of Bath at Work by his late father, Michael Cross, who had been instrumental in helping to establish the Museum and who chaired it in the early days. Edward has been a Trustee of the Museum since 1995.

June joined the Museum of Bath at Work as a trustee in 2018 after a distinguished career in academia. For over 30 years, she taught history at the University of the West of England, where she held positions as Head of History, Professor of Modern History, and Associate Dean Research. With a PhD from Sheffield focusing on ’women’s work in Leeds, 1880- 1914,’ June has extensively published on socialism and feminism in Britain. Noteworthy works include a pamphlet on Mabel Tothill for Bristol Radical History and co-editing ’The British Women’s Suffrage Campaign: National and International Perspectives.’ Post- retirement, June actively promotes labour and women’s history in the South West, engaging with the Museum of Bath at Work, co-organizing the Larkhall History Society, and co-chairing the West of England and South Wales Women’s History Network. She also serves as a Patron of the Cleveland Pools project and contributes to Women’s History Review and Llafur, the Welsh Labour History Journal, as part of their editorial boards.

Ann is an art historian and museum director, who champions audience engagement.  Educated in Bath, she has held curatorial roles at Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Holburne Museum, Bath before becoming Head of Fine Art at the National Museum of Wales and Director of the  Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham and Professor of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice.  Her tenure as Director of Birmingham Museums Trust and Head of Cultural Engagement at the University of Leeds showcased her commitment to public art and heritage projects.  Recognised for her contributions to Welsh art, she became a Fellow of Aberystwyth University in 2019 and sits on the School of Art Advisory Body.  She is currently Vice Chair of Leeds Art Fund and has an interest in textile manufacturing, leading the Yorkshire Year of the Textile in 2017.  She is currently Acting Director of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection in Lancashire.  As an historian of tennis art, she is inspired by our building’s history (originally constructed as a Real Tennis Court in 1777) and she co-curated the award winning Bath and Tennis exhibition (2025) with fellow Trustees June Hannam and Sara Frears.

Andy joined the Trustees in 2024, taking the role of Treasurer with a professional background in engineering and supply chain operations. Andy founded and managed a professional services company which grew to a team of thirty staff across two countries. The group advised organisations in over forty countries on strategic and operational matters and implemented the resulting projects.  This company became part of a major consultancy in 2015. He has consistently applied his skills in voluntary roles throughout his career. Andy is fascinated by local museums in all corners of the world and looks forward to working on our exciting development plans. 

Cleo joined as a trustee in 2024. A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning at University College London, Cleo has a long held interest in industrial history, historic buildings, community engagement and storytelling. Cleo has been a Bath resident since 2006. She is a town planner, urban design and regeneration specialist. She also volunteers for Design West a charity that puts design and social inclusion at its heart. Cleo is delighted to support the Museum of Bath at Work and believes in the importance of arts and culture to enrich people’s lives.

Matteo joined the Board of Trustees in 2025. A graduate in Design, he has built his career in fundraising, marketing, and public engagement within the charity sector. He has developed successful campaigns that connect supporters with meaningful causes, combining creative storytelling with strategic insight. With a strong interest in heritage and community initiatives, Matteo is passionate about how local history can inspire and unite people. He is particularly interested in Bath’s tradition of industry and innovation and looks forward to contributing to the Museum’s future development.

Aiden is a solicitor based locally in Bath and joined the Trustees in 2025.  Having moved here in early 2021, he has previously been based in Bristol, London, and Surrey (and many other places before, having come from an Army family).  Aiden studied History with Politics at the University of Reading and remains passionate about history and the arts - he has a particular interest in social, political and, more recently, ecclesiastical history.   He lives in Bath with his partner and their labrador Maggie and enjoys exploring all the great experiences on offer in the City and further afield, especially the beautiful nearby countryside.

Stuart, a Bath native, commenced his museum career at various institutions including the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery and Bristol Industrial Museum before becoming Director of the Museum of Bath at Work in 1992. Armed with degrees in History and Museum Studies, his professional pursuits intersect with his interest in Bath’s commercial development. Stuart is an esteemed author and lecturer, contributing to publications like History Today and The Newcomen Society. Notable works include "The World’s Crane makers: Stothert & Pitt" (1996) and "The Best for the Most with the Least: Bath and the Council House" (2013). He chairs the Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society, advises museums in Somerset and Bath, and indulges in filmmaking, bell ringing, and amateur music.