In all my years this was first visit with four year old grandson. Thought he would if list interest within ten minutes but we stayed just over an hour, he loved checking out the workings of the machinery. No charge but we made a donation, well done to all volunteers.

My son and I had a most wonderful time here at the Bolton steam museum. If I could give more stars I would!! We had travelled up from Hythe, Kent and were given a facinating and informative tour round the museum and even had some of the engines started for us!!! How different to get the chance to see them working, they are so much more imposing when the massive flywheels are spinning. Access was easy and I see no problems facing the disabled. Toilets are on site. All in all an incredible experience and I highly recommend the Bolton steam museum to all.

Quite, calm museum in Bolton. There are some amazing machines, engines inside. Well protected and well maintained textyle machines. Some of them are produced approximately 150 years ago. A volunteer Mr. John, guided and informed us. Very kind and dedicated gentleman. There are some steam days which all machines are working.

Free Entry and perfect for the kids! They have info sheets to fill out for your kids to keep them occupied and there's a cafe upstairs for refreshments!! Great exhibs about the steam engines and the workings! Well done to all involved for setting it all up. For those who have never been, a word of warning....it's considerably warmer inside the exhibit, due to the "working" engines on show, so u will not need a coat once inside :) highly recommended for Steam loco enthusiasts!

An interesting afternoon out. Run by volunteers who are very friendly and knowledgeable. I went on a steam day which was great. It doesn't cost anything to get in so make sure you leave a donation in the box to go towards running costs of the museum. Definitely worth a visit. Thanks.

Such enthusiastic volunteers who are so helpful and friendly. Great place to visit for families and enthusiast's alike. A hidden gem.

The volunteers do a fantastic job maintaining this awesome collection of working textile mill steam engines. Free entry but donations can be made to Northern Mill Engine Society.

Very well maintained with some amazing exhibits. A must see for anyone with an interest in steam powered machinery and industrial history.

What an absolutely brilliant place to spend a few hours with so many mill engines in steam on bank holiday weekends. The staff are great and very knowledgeable. There is a book stall with a very good selection of new and secondhand books on all subjects especially technical books. This must be the best book shop in the North West, a shame it's only open on bank holiday weekends.

Great place to spend some time.

The smell of steam and hot oil ... What is not to like! 18 different engines in steam, wonderful! And free entry (though they do really deserve a donation)

All volunteer based establishment. People who work there, really appreciate mechanisms and they rebuild all of those engines. They turn them on for you to present how they work. Impressive!

Plenty to see here on steaming days. Plenty of information boards explain the exhibits, but if you still have any questions there are friendly, knowledgeable volunteers on hand.

Second visit, but love the amazing collection they have. Even better when it's a steam day. Free entry and parking, but please leave a donation to help with running costs. Cafe and toilet facilities. A great day for kids young and old.

Spot on

Not has hands on but still very impressive

Very neat museum with great collection

Fantastic place to visit a credit to all the volunteers and enthusiasts

A fitting tribute to Northern steam power.

Little Gem in a fantastic building run by true enthusiasts..

Easy to find. Volunteers very knowledgeable.

Bill and Bill gave me an excellent tour. Just a marvel for engineering nerds.

Really worth a visit. Run by volunteers who are dedicated to preserving these impressive examples of steam power. We felt welcomed upon entering and were shown around the entire museum and even got to see some engines in operation. Really fantastic day out!

Proper northern steam

Really interesting museum with must know history about our northern engineering powerhouse. Volunteers there are tremendously dedicated to ensure the artifacts are preserved and operational for everyone to enjoy 🙂 Much appreciated demonstrations and thorough explanations. Thanks!!

A great place to visit. Had a good look around with the family. Free to get in but donations are welcome.

Wonderful place to visit. Very helpful staff members most informative.

I drove up from Surrey to see the museum. I was not disappointed. A very friendly and knowledgeable group of volunteers gave my wife and I, a person tour of the museum. A great place to visit for young and old. Why don’t the local schools visit? Time well spent. Please do not forget to give a donation.

A little bit of steam heaven

Excellent place, engineering at its best and in steam

Bolton Steam Museum is a museum in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which houses a variety of preserved steam engines. Based in the cotton store of the former Atlas Mill in Mornington Road, it is owned and run by the Northern Mill Engine Society (NMES). The NMES is a registered charity (No 532259) and the museum has received Accredited Museum status from Arts Council England, the government body responsible for museums policy. The museum is open most Wednesdays and Sundays between 10 am and 2 pm when visitors can view the engines statically when volunteers are working at the museum. Special Open Days are held each year on Bank Holidays weekends when the engines are working under steam power. However, visits by genuine enthusiasts or organised groups can always be accommodated by prior arrangement. (See website). Vehicular access is via Morrisons's Supermarket car park. Parking is free for museum visitors. The following is a list of the mill engines that have been preserved and are on show at Bolton Steam Museum. For further details of the engine types, see steam engine.

History in Motion At one point Lancashire led the world in Steam Engine production - this great legacy is preserved beautifully in the Bolton Steam Museum. There are so many innovations displayed with detailed signage to explain how these incredible machines changed the world. Admission is free - well worth arranging to visit when the Museum is 'In Steam' where the true character of these machines is revealed. Big thanks to the friendly and dedicated volunteers who made the visit such an enjoyable experience. Will be visiting again to see the Engines being used on 'Steam Day'

We went on a steam day and it was one of the best things we did on our holiday. An amazing collection and the volunteers/engineers were really good at explaining everything. This is a first rate museum.

This was a great place to visit. The staff were so helpful and informative about the history of the machines. We took our 2 young children and they loved it.

Wonderful to visit on a steaming day but entertaining all year round.

Loved the history and the gentleman who showed us around was really knowledgeable and passionate!! 30 years of hard work and we have a true hidden gem of our history!! A must visit!!

What a lovely venue to learn about steam mechanics of the past. Car park scattered with fly tipping but not their fault so be aware of this issue. Staff are all volunteers and have done an amazing job of the site. From real live working machines to replica working scale models to sell the idea to prospective customers of the past. Staff were really attentive and offered help at any time. Ablutions on site with light snacks and hot beverages available. At the time of this review Apple Maps location incorrect so use Google maps.

I was lucky and I have visited it during a steam day so all the engines were running. For sure it worth it. And even if it isn't a steam day the collection is HUGE and everything well explained. But for sure the staff will answer you any questions

An absolutely fantastic place, my wife and I were the only two people in the museum at the time we went. We were asked if we would like to see some of the machinery in action...silly question of course we would. The chap that showed us around had such an intricate knowledge of each machine in operation you could not help but be both impressed and interested. It is clear that all the volunteers are extremely passionate about not only the machinery but the museum itself. Please be generous as you enter the museum as they do not charge but rather ask for a donation. Without people and places such as this an important part of our industrial heritage will be lost, and that will not only be a crying shame but need not happen with support from all who vist and enjoy the great era of steam power. Go and enjoy.

Very helpful and friendly staff showed me and my 80 year old Dad, how everything worked. It is well worth a few hours to see some of the wonders of the industrial revolution. We also visited the British Commercial Vehicle Museum, that day in Leyland, so the two attractions made a great day out.

Lovely Industrial place loot of history 😍 Friendly people always next to U to tell U story of steam industry Good place to escape of modern world and to go back in time Thank U gentleman for runing for Us few of the machines on our visits U can buy some tools on way out as well for good price for donating this lovely place We will be back Thanks for today

Extremely devoted ppl who works there. Their effort must be recognized and help them and I think crowd funding is important for them. You will love to watch the history from Queen 👑 victoria 😅 era.

We spent a brilliant 3 hours at this fantassteam museum. All the volunteers we chatted with were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the engines, especially the ran most of them one after the other and explained how each one worked and the differences. I can't recommend this place as a must-see museum.

A visit today 24-9-2023 been driving past this place for years and what a fantastic place, fantastic visit very knowledgeable volunteers and some of the machines working, another visit is need and their is no entrance fee it's a donation

Great place for anyone with engineering and industrial history interest. Staff are extremely helpful and engineers themselves. Engines run on steem on steem days but electric motors on other days. There is a wide spread selection of engines both in date and configuration. Must go place!

Great museum with lots of interesting things to see.

Too my family and we all enjoyed it.

Very interesting collection of engines and a great book shop on steaming open days

Great place to visit

Great place, enthusiastic volunteers who are very knowledgeable and friendly. Brilliant collection of steam powered engines and a wealth of knowledge by the volunteers to back it all up.

The kids loved the steam museum will be visiting in October for the in steam day thanks

Working steam engines! Very friendly. Displays of our industrial heritage and how they work. Dog friendly

Great place this. Will go again

It's a brilliant step back into history and the devoted volunteers who run it are always happy to chat and answer questions about the workings of the beautifully restored engines etc.

Came up here for the holiday. Interesting place

Most informative and very well organized.

Really interesting place to visit. Run by volunteers it is a very professional museum and had taken many years of hard work to achieve an exceptionally high standard.

Fantastic display of 0reseved history with really helpful staff and informative displays.

Brilliant!

Excellent.

Really interesting museum run by a great bunch of enthusiasts. Very friendly, knowledgable and helpfull. Will visit again soon.

A lot of stuff in a period building. Impressive but, no atmosphere, nothing for kids, everything lovingly restored but over restored too clinical and clean. Good to see once but then what. Go to Internal Fire museum in ceredigion much better

Free when it's open

The volunteers are great. Interesting but pretty chilly venue in December.

Very enthusiastic staff , a nice museum

Wide range of historic steam engines, well presented

A brilliant place run by dedicated volunteers. Although a 'man place' it is free for all and preserves an amazing heritage in British engineering. The place is immaculate and the stories of the engines clearly told on boards. A credit to all involved and to Morrisons who gave so much when the museum moved. Well done!

Spot on on a wet day. Very friendly people

A fantastic Steam museum with live steam engines on the go, plenty to see and a small cafe, this place is absolutely fantastic and a must for anybody with children interested in steam. Open on the bank holidays to visitors.

Local history doesn't get any better

Beautifully set out.friendly staff Loads of steam stuff to look at...extremely well organised

Wow what a very amazing go back 8n time kinder day..Its free to enter the staff are very helpful will go again defo