English Heritage

Stott Park Bobbin Mill near Lake Windermere is the very last survivor of the 100-odd Lake District mills which produced wooden bobbins for the Lancashire Cotton industry.

‘Bobbin boys’ aged from 10 to 14 worked here in arduous conditions to produce 250,000 bobbins a week. Packed with clattering belt-driven machinery, Stott Park Bobbin Mill is presented just as it was in the 1870s.

Demonstrations show you how raw timber from the surrounding woodland was transformed into bobbins. A hands-on family trail, with dressing-up clothes for children, helps you imagine what it was like in the 1870s.

Explore the mill’s four acres of woodland, which are carpeted with bluebells in late April and May. Look out for wildlife, browse our second-hand bookshop and enjoy a woodland picnic.

You can visit Stott Park Bobbin Mill on a guided tour on selected days.