Museum of Bath at Work

The Museum of Bath at Work stands in a converted 18th-century real tennis court in Bath. The building, Camden Works, dates from 1777 and provides an authentic setting for the displays. The museum tells the story of Bath’s economy over two thousand years through carefully reconstructed workshops and businesses. Its centrepiece is a full recreation of Jonathan Burdett Bowler’s mineral-water firm from the 19th century. Visitors see the shop, offices, and bottling plant exactly as they were, complete with more than ten thousand original bottles and stacks of business papers. Other highlights include a cabinet-maker’s workshop and a Bath stone quarry face with period tools and a crane. A 1914 Horstmann car and a rare 1885 Griffin six-stroke gas engine add to the industrial story. Inside the Hudson Gallery a changing display of photographs shows local life through the decades. The museum’s exhibits sit within the elegant walls of the old real tennis court, linking past leisure and present learning.