Forge Mill Needle Museum, Bordesley Abbey Visitor Centre, Redditch, Worcestershire

We welcome many different types of groups to our museum, from WIs, local history, U3As, Friends groups and of course textile groups. You can choose either a tour of Forge Mill Needle Museum or the Abbey site - both are led by our expert guides.

We offer both daytime and evening tours at no extra charge.

A tour of Forge Mill explains the gruesome story of how a needle was made in Victorian times. This takes place in the atmospheric surroundings of the world's only remaining water powered needle scouring mill. You will be able to see the water wheel and the Victorian scouring beds in action - barring mechanical problems!

We also offer site tours of the Bordesley Abbey ruins and excavations, and explain the life and work of the Abbey and its Cistercian monks and what the archaeologists have discovered throughout their years of excavations.

At the end of either of the tours there will be time to look at the current exhibition on offer.

Typical Itinerary

• Refreshments served on arrival
• Welcome and introduction
• Guided tour of either Forge Mill or Bordesley Abbey (it usually takes just under an hour)
• Entry to current exhibition
• Opportunity to browse the gift shop

Charges

£4.00 per person, which includes entry to the museum and a guided tour for pre-booked groups of 15 people or more.

Group members can choose to take up the special offer of a hot drink of their choice and homemade cake for £2.00. Please let us know at the time of booking if your group wish to have this option.

There is an additional charge for two tours. Please note that we would not be able to offer both the Needle Museum and Abbey tours over the course of one evening.

The group admission charge includes a £8.00 non-refundable deposit (the price of two people) which is deducted from the total group visit.

Additional Places of Interest

Why not combine your visit to us with another to a nearby attraction?

We are close to quite a few National Trust properties. The area also has quite a few places for people who are looking for somewhere to eat. Please ask us for suggestions!