A Circus Parade
Here is a fascinating journal entry from the Rev. Francis Kilvert, who we have met before, visiting Bath from Langley Burrell near Chippenham. Tuesday 30 September 1873 Went down to Bath with Dora [his youngest […]
Jul 24 – Nov 1
Up on the Down: An Exhibition on Odd Down
An exhibition created by the Odd Down Local History Society will be on show in the Hudson Gallery from Friday 24th July until Sunday 1st November. The exhibition is part of the museum’s ‘Knowing Your […]
Oct
14
Talk: “The Sack of Julian Road” with Dr Amy Frost
Wednesday 14th October at 18.30 (doors 18.00) Museum of Bath at Work Tickets £10, pay on the door, cash or card This year’s lecture, kindly sponsored by Cross Manufacturing, explores Bath’s planning and urban design […]
Oct
24
Vintage children’s stop-motion and puppet animation shows from the 1970s
Saturday 24th October at the Museum Doors 13.30 Films start 14.00 (programme lasts about 1 hour) Free event, no need to book (usual Museum admission applies) Half-term fun for ages 5-11 and nostalgia for their […]
Oct
31
Screening: The Open Road
Saturday 31st October Doors 13.30 Film starts 14.00 (programme lasts about 1 hour) Free event, no need to book (usual Museum admission applies) Half-term film for ages 10 and up and adults It’s 1926, a […]
Nov
8
Screening: Battle of the Somme 1916
Sunday 8th November 3.00pm Battle of the Somme 1916 At the Little Theatre Cinema, Bath Doors 14.45, Film starts 15.00 with introductory talk (programme lasts about 90 minutes) We are showing this unique and important […]
Nov
14
Screening: A Mystery Film!
Saturday 14th November at the Museum Doors 18.00 Film starts 18.30 Pay on the door £10 or Eventbrite booking link can be found here What is your most favourite film ever? Think back over your […]
Nov
21
Silent Films Night with live improvised organ accompaniment
Saturday 21st November: 6.30pm for 7.00pm at CHRIST CHURCH, Julian Road, BA1 2RH (ends approx. 9.20pm) Tickets via Bath Box Office here Museum open FREE ENTRY 5-6.30pm for ticket holders to visit the “Lights, Camera, […]
The Festival of Britain 1951
It’s 75 years since the Festival of Britain, and there’s been quite a lot of coverage of this anniversary. Even those who were primary school children at the time are now in their eighties, so […]
A Dispute over Earwigs!
Amongst the archives of the Bowler company is this letter of complaint and J B Bowler’s reply and explanation. The complaint about the earwigs relates to the Codd type bottles sealed with a glass ball […]
Preserving (and Growing) Bath’s Stories
Storytelling and folklore have always played a vital role in our history and culture. From the earliest fables and songs to today’s podcasts and radio programs, humans have always relied on the spoken word to […]
“A cure for all”
The year is 1780 – You come to Bath seeking a cure for chronic illness and visit the Pump Room. How might your experience change depending on wealth and social status? “Mr. Skrine tells me […]
May 9 – Nov 29
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! : 120 Years of Cinemas and Films in Bath
ON NOW (please note, exhibition is closed on Monday afternoons) 9th May – 29th November We’re celebrating Cinemas, probably the most significant cultural development of the 20th century. Find out about Bath’s earliest cinemas before […]
Mr Golding, advertising agent
This has got to be one of my favourite research finds. It started with a death certificate for Anthony Golding who died in St Martin’s Hospital in 1940, aged 40. Here he is in the […]
Free Guided Tours of Museum Collections
Every day at 11.00 a.m. Find out more about what we have – for nothing! From April 1st, Museum staff will be offering a daily free guided tour to visitors, included as part of our […]
A bargain Bagatelle board
Last year we joined Rev. Francis Kilvert on a visit to the Bath Flower Show in 1870, a very hot and tiring day. Kilvert (1840-1879) was born in Hardenhuish, Chippenham; his father was the vicar […]
A Glimpse of Cinema History
We’re enjoying the research process for our forthcoming exhibition – Lights! Camera! Action! 120 years of Cinemas and Films in Bath. Have you ever looked up above The Works store in Westgate Street? On the […]
Major National Award for 2025 Tennis Exhibition
The Museum of Bath at Work has won the annual Sporting Heritage Research Award which was presented at a ceremony at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on the evening of 13 November, organised by Sporting Heritage. The […]
COMING SOON! “Pictures That Talk”
After our successful Tennis exhibition this year, for 2026 we turn to indoor entertainment with our next – Lights! Camera! Action! 120 years of Cinemas and Films in Bath. The smell of popcorn, the comfy […]
The Fentiman family – three generations of working women
This portrait of Daisy Fentiman is in the collection of glass plate negatives from the Tom Carlyle Leaman photography studio curated at the Museum. Daisy was born in June 1881, the daughter of Mary Jane […]
Proposed Drawing Workshop-Spring 2026
Bath at Work museum is a treasure house of archaic Victorian machinery, fizzy pop manufacturing and bottling equipment, stone quarrying plant and an array of other relics from Bath’s industrial past. In this workshop you […]
“Now it’s time for Ice Cream!”
That was the intermission announcement at the cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, with a slightly faded picture as I remember it (writes Ann Cullis) followed by orange drink Kia-Ora. For a bit of nostalgia, […]
Anyone for Ice Cream?
Since it is (at the time of writing this piece) the summer holidays, I thought we’d take a look at the delectable subject of ice cream in Bath. The Bath Chronicle reports about ice cream […]
A day out at Bath Flower Show
The journals of Rev. Francis Kilvert (1840-1879), covering 1870-1879, are a delightful record of his daily life during his thirties and also demonstrate his eye for the natural world, with beautiful descriptions of weather and […]
Tennis Exhibition Opening Evening
Our exciting new exhibition, “On Court: Bath and Tennis from Indoor to Outdoor” was officially opened on Thursday 12th June when Louise Price cut the ribbon during an evening launch event. The exhibition will run […]
Jun 12 – Nov 16
On Court: Bath and Tennis from Indoor to Outdoor
Our exciting new exhibition, On Court: Bath and Tennis Indoor to Outdoor, will open at the Museum of Bath at Work on 12 June until 16th November. Through interpretation boards and loan items it reveals […]
David Press – Pastry Cook, Noted Shop for Cakes
“Pastry Cook; Noted Shop for Cakes” is David Press’s regular classified advertisement in the Bath Chronicle for his shop at 28 Broad Street (sometimes Ices are mentioned too). Directly above his advert is always placed […]
What did it cost to play a game of tennis in 1777?
We have wanted to know the answer to this question for ages – and thanks to a new book by local historian Colin Fisher, we now know the answer! The Costs of Pleasure (Hobnob Press […]
A summer of sport?
Opening June 2025, the Museum hosts a fabulous new exhibition about Tennis in Bath. Amongst a wealth of fascinating material, we’ll look at the clothing worn for playing tennis, so this piece gives a little […]
Bessie and Muriel Franklin Spurr
In this article we’re looking at another two of the photographic portraits in the collection of glass plate negatives from Tom Carlyle Leaman’s studio at no.7 The Corridor. Research has led us to find out […]
Dogs – A nasty coincidence
The Museum features the factory and workshops of the successful businessman J.B. Bowler, who made carbonated mineral waters (fizzy pop drinks) and ironmongery items. The building, as we have explored in previous articles, was built […]
The Sare family – furs and beers
This is another of the photographic portraits in the Museum’s collection of glass plate negatives from the studio of Tom Carlyle Leaman, taken in the 1890s and 1900s. We can trace the Sare family and […]