Museums of the World

THIS LIST of museums, compiled by ISMACS member David Stirling, has been put together from data available on the Internet and other sources. Readers should be aware that some museums mentioned here are luxurious purpose-built establishments, whilst others are simply an enthusiast's back room.

Those intending to visit should always telephone ahead to ensure opening hours.

We will be pleased to hear of any museums which might be missing from our list. Obviously there are many general museums which include quite large sewing machine collections but it was not possible to include these.

Austria

Nähmaschinenmuseum
Kinkstrasse 16, A-6330 Kufstein. (44 miles SW of Salzburg)
Kufstein is the town where Josef Madersperger invented a sewing machine in 1810

Britain

London Sewing Machine Museum
292 Balham High Road, Upper Tooting, London, SW17-7AA
Ray Rushton. Tel: +44(0)20-8767 4724
[email protected]
www.wimsew.com
By prior arrangement
Museum opened April 2000. Over 600 machines

The Clydebank Museum
The Town Hall, Dumbarton Road, Clydebank, G81-1XQ
Mary Land (Curator) Tel: +44(0)1389-738702
Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri: 2-4 30pm. Tues, Sat: 10am-4 30pm
Part of the Singer collection from the Kilbowie plant is here, but only 10% is on display; the other 90% is in store. The store can be visited by prior arrangement

Museum of English Rural Life
University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Shinfield Road. (2 miles SE of town centre)
John Gilmore (Custodian) Tel: +44(0)118-931 8661 Dr R D Brigden (Dep Director) Tel: +44(0)118-931 8663 Fax: +44(0)118-975 1264 [email protected]
www.ruralhistory.org/index.html
Tue to Sat: 10am-1pm, 2-4 30pm. Adults £1, children free
A museum of farming crafts which also holds the Bartlett collection of about 50 domestic and 40 industrial sewing machines. Only 15 machines are on display. The rest of the collection can be seen by prior arrangement

France

Musée B Thimonnier de la machine à coudre et du cycle
Place de l'hotel de ville, 69550 Amplepuis (28 miles NW of Lyon)
Paulette Bourbon, Tel: +33(0)4.74.89.08.90
www.ccsti-grenoble.org/ressources/Annuaire/Rhone MuseBarthelemy_Thimonnier.htm
15 June to 15 Sept: Daily from 2 to 6-30pm. 16 Sept to 14 June: Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun. Adults 15 Francs, under 16 free.
About 150 machines

Musée Thimonnier-Doyen
11 Ave de la Paix, 69650 St Germain au Mont d'Or (Rhône) (10 miles north of Lyon)
Tel: +33(0)4 72 08 19 19 Pierre Doyen
Fax: +33(0)4 78 43 23 69
Every Monday 2-6pm or by prior arrangement. Free
Large collection started in 1927. Located inside the modern Thimonnier factory

Musée de la machine à coudre
Rouillé (19 miles SW of Poitiers)
Tel: +33(0)5 49 43 99 25
Mon to Fri 8am-12noon and 2-6pm; weekend by arrangement
About 300 machines

Musée de la machine à coudre
Centre Gérardiner, 4 Bd. Kelsch, Gérardmer (56 miles SW of Strasbourg)
Tel: +33(0)3 29 60 00 33
http://www.ville-gerardmer.fr/Musee_mc/musee_ma.htm
10am-12noon/2-7pm daily except Sunday am Free. Claim some machines are unique in Europe

Musée de la machine à coudre
13 Place des Buttes, 51000, Chalons en Champagne. (25 miles SE of Reims)
Lucien Cordier Tel: +33(0)3 26 65 62 46
By prior arrangement
About 250 machines

Germany

Mey Museum
Custom-built museum in the Gebrüder Mey company building, Lautingen, Auf Steingen 6, 72459 Albstadt (45 miles south of Stuttgart)
Tel: +49(0)7431-7060 Fax:+49(0)7431-706100
www.albstadt.de/kulturundbildung/museen/nahmaschinenmuseum
Mon-Thurs 9am-12noon/1-30-4pm. Fri 9am-12 noon
Opened 1994, more than 300 machines displayed

Strobel Museum
J Strobel & Söhne GmbH & Co, Benzstr 11, D-82178 Puchheim. (10 miles west of Munich)
Tel: +49(0)89-800960 Fax: +49(0)89-80096190
Closed since the firm moved to new premises, the museum may be re-opened at a later date
320 machines exhibited. Also a large collection of ironing appliances

Holland

IMCA Museum
Hendrik Figeeweg 4, 2031 BJ Haarlem (near Amsterdam)
Frans de Vlieger Tel: +31(0)23-531958
http://www.imca.net/museum/index.html
By prior arrangement.
Collection started in 1950; hundreds of machines, many of them from America, including some very rare models

Naaimachinenmuseum Dordrect
Singel 66, 3311 SJ, Dordrecht.
D A G Bekkers Tel: +31(0)78-6142678
Daily, 10am-12noon/2-5pm. Closed Mondays

Norway

Norsk Teknisk Museum
Kjelsasveien 143, 0396. Oslo
Tel: +47-22 79 60 00 Fax: +47-22 79 61 00
[email protected]
www.norsk-teknisk.museum.no
Mon-Fri 10am-4pm Sat-Sun 10am-5pm Adults 60Kr
A collection of over 80 sewing machines, mainly German. Pictures of all the collection at: www.museumsnett.no/ntm/no/gjenst/symaskiner/16bilder1.htm

Spain

Cano collection
Elche (12 miles SW of Alicante)
Emilio Cano Tel: +34(9)65430610 Fax: +34 (9)66675999
By prior arrangement
About 300 machines, pre 1920. All different, many rare, labelled

A museum of sewing machines, typewriters and calculators
Figueres (70 miles NE of Barcelona)
Pedro Padrosa Fax: +34(9)72-50 31 22 [email protected]
New museum planned to open July 2001. About 300 pre-1920 machines. Important collection of French models

Switzerland

Musée Suisse de la machine à coudre
Grand rue 58, 1700 Fribourg (20 miles SW of Berne)
Edouard Wassmer, Chemin du Chateau 2, CH-1782, Belfaux, Fribourg Tel: +41(0)26-475 24 33 [email protected]
http://www.museewassmer.com
By prior arrangement
The museum is in a 13^th century cellar of an 18th century building

Bernina
In the Bernina factory in Steckborn, Frauenfeld. (25 miles NE of Zurich)
Tel: +41(0)52-761 11 44.
Mon to Fri 7am­5pm
The history of the sewing machine from 1790 to present day

Nähmaschinenmuseum
Sägenstrasse 32, Chur (60 miles SE of Zurich)
Tel: +41(0) 81-252 28 06
Every second and fourth Saturday in the month from 26pm