The Long Shop Steam Museum is four miles from Aldeburgh and is steeped in local history. The grade II listed Long shop was built in 1852 by Richard Garrett III as one of Great Britians first production lines for steam engines.
The Long Shop houses an impressive collection of products made at Garretts including traction engines, seed drills and dry cleaning machines, and artefacts relating to the Works and to Leiston.
The Garrett family have resided in Suffolk since the 14th century but the third Richard Garrett, born in 1807, was in charge of the business by 1836 and the following thirty years were a period of rapid expansion.
The workforce increasing from 60 to over 600. Two of his sons entered the firm (which remained a family partnership until 1897, when it was incorporated as "Richard Garrett and Sons Ltd") while a third founded a similar business in Magdeburg, Germany. At its peak, the labour force numbered over 2,000 and exports of agricultural machinery were the dominant part of the business.
Part of the works, including the pattern shop, were destroyed by fire in 1913 and a number of records were lost or damaged. A new works, adjoining Leiston railway station, was built later in 1913 though the original Town site continued in use
For the children the Museum can be helpful to build up a picture of a famous person like Richard Garrett III or Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (Key Stage 1) who lived in Aldeburgh and was laterly the first woman Mayor; or help pupils to build up a picture of the lives of working people in an industrial town in the Victorian era (KS2/3), and make links between then and now.
Opening hours : Mondays to Sat. 10am - 5pm Sundays 11am - 5pm
Admission : Adults £3.50, Senior Citizens £3.00, Children £1.00, Under 5's FREE
Website : www.longshop.care4free.net
Address : Main Street, Leiston, Suffolk IP16 4ES
Stay at Pelican cottage - Four star accommodation in a delightfully modernised Victorian fisherman's cottage located on Aldeburgh high street right with the beach very close by.
Three bedrooms sleeping four adults and two children in bunk beds.
Available all year round for weekly rental and weekend breaks.
Click to see holiday cottage facilities
