MATLOCK TRAVEL SOCIETY

Our recent excursion to Macclesfield to visit the Silk Museum and Paradise Silk Mill was interesting and informative. Our welcome refreshments, including delicious home-made cake were much appreciated. In the silk mill we learned about the life cycle of the silk moth and the subsequent way the cocoons created were treated to release the silken threads spun into the yarn for weaving. We saw both the original hand weaving process on the looms and the way mechanisation later took over with the introduction of punched cards running through the machines creating the design. To be in what was the last surviving, fully working silk mill, listening to the history of the silk industry and the lives of the weavers and the town of Macclesfield was quite an experience. The museum told the story in particular of two women, daughters of mill owners, who for their time were pioneers in travel around the world and amassed collections of artefacts from Egypt, among other places. We enjoyed time to explore rest of the museum.

Our forthcoming excursion on Tuesday 13 May is to Papplewick Pumping Station, built in 1884 to pump water to the growing town of Nottingham and preserved in full working order. Refreshments and a guided tour are included. Moving on to Newstead Abbey, we’ll enjoy an included light lunch followed by a tour of the house and free time to enjoy the gardens.

If you would like to join us, please contact Marion on 01246 466925. We’ll be pleased to see you.