Silk Museum - Macclesfield

Luba P.

I've always been interested in silk. Because it’s beautiful and is a very interesting history of the development of silk industry and business.
Therefore, visiting Macclesfield I aimed to visit the Silk Museum. Macclesfield used to be called the End of the Silk Road. The silk industry had a very strong link with Macclesfield.
I would recommend a visit to the Silk Museum. It has two parts. Very interesting exhibits and information are presented on the ground floor ( free entrance and donations are welcome). Also there is Paradise Mill, which is absolutely fascinating place. It is better to book a tour in advance.
The museum tells the story of silk’s origins in China, its journey to Britain where it was a great development of silk industry. It is very interesting to learn about machinery, weaving processes, designs and lives of workers.
We greatly appreciate the effort to keep this unique heritage available to public after 300 years saga of the Silk industry in Britain has ended.

Zee N.

Hidden gem! Tucked down a side street this is a great place to visit and it's free! Fascinating Egyptian section plus interesting history covering Barnabas day and facts on how the silk mills transformed the wealth of the area. Hands on exhibits. Small cafe serving tea in very nice cups and saucers plus cake.

Lesley B.

Amazing Paradise Mill tour with Tina. Very knowledgeable and welcoming.

Working machinery and looms to look at.

Definitely worth a visit. Selection of silk, hand crafted jewellery, crocheted items and relevant books in the shop.

Refreshments available too.

We spent 3 hours there including the tour.
Convenient parking around the corner, 1 min away.

Nina S.

We pre booked the pattern printing workshop run by Hannah. It was excellent. Hannah was knowledgeable, helpful and approachable. Perfect afternoon to spend being creative with friends. Just wish we had more time! Small cafe with tea, coffee and cakes; museum shop a must. All so friendly. They do tours of Paradise mill, which is worth your time, but check out the times on the website, so you can fit it all in! No car park at museum, street parking only an hour, but a few car parks around Macclesfield.

Ruth U.

A very interesting museum. Would definitely recommend doing a tour. As very interesting and informative.

Sam C.

The museum itself is wonderful, but the real highlight is the Paradise Mill tour. Seeing a preserved production floor for bespoke silk designs was absolutely amazing, and will appeal to anyone with any interest in the history of design, industry or engineering. The tour guide was informative, friendly and passionate, and all the museum staff were lovely. Surprise highlight of our trip, cannot praise highly enough.

Paul J.

Great Experience at the Silk Museum, Macclesfield

We really enjoyed our visit to the Silk Museum in Macclesfield. Even without the guided tour, there was plenty to explore, and the exhibits were well laid out and informative.

One of the highlights was the interactive displays, where you could have a go at some of the processes, making the experience more engaging. The museum does a great job of showcasing the history of silk production in the area, with fascinating artefacts and machinery on display.

It’s a well-presented and interesting museum, perfect for anyone curious about the town’s heritage. Definitely worth a visit!

Donna W.

Nice little museum. We came across it while in Macclesfield for a few hours. It's technically free to enter, though with a donation.
The museum itself was quite informative, particularly about silk (obviously!) We didn't spend too long wandering around as we didn't have long in Macclesfield, but it was nice to see. I particularly liked the Egyptian section.
There's quite a few child friendly things like colouring, crayon rubbings, and tables set out with materials to make paper plate spider webs. Plus there's toilets and a shop!
There's also a giant panda upstairs!
Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.