Welcome
Welcome to Stour Vale Mill, the home of the Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster which was the "Woven carpet capital of the world" for two hundred years. The Museum galleries tell the story of the carpet industry from its roots in the 18th century to modern times. Production processes are brought to life as skilled volunteers carry out demonstrations on our original power looms. Hand loom weaving volunteers demonstrate the carpet’s early craft skills roots, producing beautiful hand-made goods for sale in the Museum gift shop. There are a wide range of interactive exhibits, films and audios throughout the galleries providing further insights into the industry.
Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Hand Loom ShopLight Green galleryDark Green GalleryBlue GalleryRed GalleryMain Reception DeskMuseum of Carpet ShopTemporary Exhibition SpaceAccess with steps
There are steps from the main entrance to:
Rear yardHearing
Visual
General
Getting here
Travel by public transport
Access to the Museum of Carpet from the railway station involves following the road Station Approach out of the station up to Comberton Hill (A448). Turn left onto Comberton Hill (going downhill) to the bottom of the hill. Go under the subway bearing left and this will bring you out on Green Street. Follow the road with the Museum on the left-hand side until the first set of traffic lights and turn left for the main entrance.
Travel by taxi
Visiting the Museum by car: For regional traffic follow A442 from Bridgnorth, A449 from Worcester/Wolverhampton, A456 from Birmingham or A448 from Bromsgrove/Redditch then follow signs for town centre. At junction between A448 and A451 take turning with Museum of Carpet sign.
For long distance traffic: For M5 use junction 6 then A449(N); for M42 take junction 1 onto A38 (S). At junction with A448 turn right into Bromsgrove and follow signs for A448/Kidderminster.
Parking
There are three car parks near the museum: two run by Morrisons for the supermarket next door to the museum with a time limit of 150 minutes; and a pay and display car park across the road from the Museum. Access from the larger Morrisons car park is through a vestibule and along the side of the store. The smaller car park involves crossing the entry road to the Museum and Morrisons via a pedestrian crossing. Access from the pay and display car park is possible at the traffic lights opposite the Museum
Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
The main entrance to the Museum of Carpet is via a two-panel automatic glass door with motion sensors.
Getting around inside
Lift
Main Lift
Ticket/ information desk
Main Reception Desk
The Reception Desk is in a c-shape in the middle of the room. The right-hand side is the narrowest point, between the desk and the start of the Museum shop shelves. This gap is 1000m wide with no jutting-out objects. The floor is smooth and wooden, with a very slight rise to the rest of the museum.
Things to See and Do
Hand Loom Shop
The Hand Loom Shop is focused around pre-industiralised weaving and contains items of machinery such as winding devices and two hand looms that do jut out into the walkways. The minimum gap between the exhibits is 1000mm. The floor is made of older wooden lengths which do creak when stepped on. Seating is available on the right-hand side next to the internal wall.
Light Green gallery
The Light Green Gallery is about Kidderminster's social history. The space is carpeted with concrete underneath giving a firm walking surface. The layout of the displays do make some areas narrow for wheelchair users and those with assistance but all areas are accessible. There is a small cinema for viewing three 5-minute films with all spoken words written down on laminated sheets next to the seats. The space between the cinema and a digital map on the right-hand side is just over 800mm so is very narrow.
Dark Green Gallery
The Dark Green Gallery is about reminiscences and the legacy from the carpet industry. The floor is carpet covering concrete with no lips, steps or raised edges. There are recorded interviews via headphones on the right-hand side. The central table is clearly contrasted from the floor and is surrounded by at least 1000mm of free space to allow free movement although it has pull-out drawers that could reduce space. There is a computer at a wheelchair-friendly height for limited searching of the Museum's online catalogue. Child-sized stool are present in the gallery which could be a trip hazard.
Blue Gallery
The Blue Gallery is about the design and manufacturing processes that go into making carpet. The layout of objects could make it difficult to move around easily within the area but are not fixed so could be (re)moved temporarily. The power cable from the carpet design computer runs in a sealed casing from its right-hand side along the floor to the wall which could be a trip hazard (approx 30mm high). The computer's left hand side is unencumbered. The objects are clearly contrasted from the floor. Child-sized stool are present in the gallery which could be a trip hazard.
Red Gallery
The Red Gallery is about the end of carpet weaving in Kidderminster (after 1945). There are no objects in the middle of the movement space to impede access. Some of the cupboards have pull-out drawers that could restrict space. Child-sized stool are present in the gallery which could be a trip hazard.
Shop
Museum of Carpet Shop
The Museum Shop is adjacent to the Reception desk in the Entrance Area and is c-shaped. On first impression this creates a tight area for manoeuvring wheelchairs or other handicapped people but there is enough room for a wheelchair or two adults side-by-side. The shop displays are accessible by wheelchair users apart from the top shelves but assistance is always available from the reception volunteers.
Temporary Exhibition Space
The exhibition space is used for temporary displays of art or other work, as well as for school and group visits. The floor is concrete covered with waterproof matting. There are movable walls to alter the layout within the room which can be used and could create narrow spaces. The narrowest part is the doorway which then opens out into a square-like room.
Getting around outside
Access to the back yard is through the public areas of the museum (galleries and temporary exhibition space). This space would only be used during an emergency evacuation when exiting from the rear of the building, and is not normally accessible to the public. The emergency exit route then goes through the Museum rear gate onto the top end of Green Street near the roundabout junction A451/A449.
Customer care support
The Museum has an Evac-chair for emergency departure of the building.
There is a power socket for recharging scooters or wheelchairs inside the main entrance on the left hand side. This space is clearly visible from the reception desk.
Emergency evacuation procedures
There are two emergency refuge areas for wheelchair users, one on each floor. In each area there is a call button that connects to the company that maintains the system.
Customer care support
We have an audio loop for blind visitors as well as audio videos describing three periods of carpet weaving in Kidderminster. There are written transcriptions of the speech in the videos which is written in Times New Roman size 16. Many of the open exhibits are suitable for tactile learning. Some of the general museum information is available in French.