A group of 11 visited the Forge Mill Needle Museum for a guided tour.  This museum is an unusual and fascinating place to visit, illustrating the rich heritage of the needle and fishing tackle industries.  Models and recreated scenes provided a vivid illustration of how needles were once made, and how Redditch once produced 90% of the world’s needles.

Our morning started with tea, coffee and very large helpings of cake at the on-site café, then our tour guide picked us up to guide us round the site.  She was excellent and she vividly explained the amazing complexity of turning coils of steel into individual needles.  We also learnt how the metal dust had a serious impact on the employees’ health – the men employed to grind the sharp points on the needle were very well paid compared to other employees, but most died of lung disease at a very young age.  Women and children were also involved, at home, in the process of spitting which removed the excess metal from around the needle eye.  Along with many mills in the 19th century it was a very harsh environment.

Thank you to Pam and Dave Hunter for organising this excellent visit.