Schools and Leisure Groups

1. From raw cotton to cotton thread

How was cotton processed more than 200 years ago? Girls and boys try out the different work-steps involved in cotton processing. The machines operating in the museum clearly demonstrate the transition to industrial production in the 19th century.

Age: 4 - 10 years / Kindergarten, primary school and special schools

Duration: depending on age 1 – 1.5 hours

Price: 45 € per group

We recommend that two guided tours be booked for groups with more than 20 participants and the group split up accordingly.

To book

2. Childhood in Cromford

How did the children and grandchildren of the factory founder Johann G. Brügelmann live and work in the Cromford mansion and what was the daily grind of the factory children like in contrast? Using selected exhibits as an example the guided tour describes the life of the children in the mansion and then during the machine demonstration tells of the daily grind of the factory children.

Age: 8 – 11 years / 3rd – 4th class

Duration: approx. 1 – 1.5 hours

Price: 45 €

We recommend that two guided tours be booked for groups with more than 20 participants and the group split up accordingly.

To book

3. Child labour around 1800

Around 1800 it was mainly children who were employed in the Cromford factory. The girls and boys slip into the role of the factory children and take on their work. But before they can begin they must go to the notary and swear that they will not disclose the secret of the “Water Frame”, that is the fine spinning machine.

Age: 8 – 11 years / 3rd – 4th class

Duration: 1.5 hours

Price: 45 € per group

To book

5. Activity-oriented guided tours

• Child labour and the onset of the “social issue”: Introduction to the working and living conditions of factory children with machine demonstration and different contemporary views on child labour.
• Early industrialisation in Germany: Introduction on the history of early industrialisation with machine demonstration
• The living environment of an entrepreneurial dynasty during early industrialisation period: Insight into the work and living environment of the factory-owner family Brügelmann in the Cromford mansion.

Age: 10 – 19 years / 5th – 13th class

Duration: 1.5 hours

Price: 45 € per group

We recommend that two guided tours be booked for groups with more than 20 participants and the group split up accordingly.

To book

7. History Slam

Presentation competition on the history of the Industrial Revolution taking as an example the first cotton spinning mill on the continent of Europe. The girls and boys are split up into small groups and after they have gained a general overview of the exhibition, they get together to concentrate on a pre-specified topic. They then present the information which they have gathered. How? Suggestions are made based on the methodical skills of the respective age group.

Age: 13 – 19 years / 7th – 13th class

Duration: approx. 3 hours

Price: 75 € per group

To book

8. In the Office of the Cotton Spinning Mill Cromford

Where and how did Brügelmann purchase his raw cotton? How did an office function around 1800? To start with, the adolescents familiarise themselves with the exhibition in the factory and in the mansion. Then slipping into the role of clerks they write their first letter in old lettering with quill and ink.

Age: 13 – 19 years/ 7th – 13th class

Duration: approx. 3 hours

Price: 75 € per group

To book

Museum Suitcase “Cotton”

Museum suitcase for loan to present the topic “Cotton” in a practical and vivid manner. Suitable as preparation for a school visit to the museum. The suitcase contains a large number of materials relating to the topic “Cotton” as well as an information folder with lesson suggestions, master copies for teachers and a list of accompanying literature and further references.

Topics covered by the suitcase are:

• "Cotton is everywhere" – Raising awareness of cotton and textiles
• What is cotton?
• How does a fibre become a thread? On the history of spinning.
• The Cotton Spinning Mill Cromford in Ratingen.
• The material workshop and its experiments.

Each topic is self-contained so that the suitcase can be used flexibly according to the level of knowledge of the class, time budget etc.

Age: 8 – 12 years / 3rd – 6th class

Loan period: 1 – 2 weeks

Loan fee: 15 € plus 50 € deposit

The suitcase can be booked through
kulturinfo rheinland

Tel. 02234 9921555 (Mon – Fri 8 - 18 hours; Sat, Sun and public holidays 10 – 15 hours)

Fax 02234 9921300

Mail: info@kulturinfo-rheinland.de

and collected at the museum ticket counter.

Further training for teachers

Education partnerships successfully established

No dates currently available.

The further training sets out the potential for a co-operation between school and an out-of-school place of learning. The main focus is on questions regarding requirements and specific implementation. How a successful partnership can be built up long-term can be seen from the example of the Cromford museum and a comprehensive school.

Duration: 7 hours (incl. Lunch break)

Price: free of charge

To book contact the “Kompetenzteam Mettmann” under Tel. 02104 992014 or per email to mettmann@kt.nrw.de

Discover the Textilfabrik (Textile Mill) Cromford with the KulturScouts

Bookable options in cooperation with the KulturScouts Bergisches Land

The LVR-Industriemuseum Textilfabrik (Textile Mill) Cromford has been a partner of the KulturScouts Bergisches Land since 2016. The exciting programmes for classes 5 to 10 enable the children to be creative and learn about the history of the first factory on the continent of Europe in a playful manner.