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GATE’s Sewing Machine Working Museum has been established to house a collection of over 250 working Antique Domestic & Industrial Sewing Machines available for public use by prior arrangement.

Thinking behind the idea – Why Gates Museum? Inspire young people to be personally creative and connect with the past in a meaningful way to their modern lives. Create a focal point for personal and social development to build community capitol.

The Museum is dead – long live the Museum! Traditional museums do not connect with young people’s everyday lives yet the sorts of objects they preserve could be used creatively to truly inspire and engage. Museums should become places that attract in active participants not passive audiences if they are to survive in the modern age of instant, virtualised, interactive media & technology.

The Gates collection is comprised of sewing machines from Britain, Germany, France, Spain and the USA. The collection has many fine examples of hand crank, treadle and cabinet sewing machines. Gates is currently in development and will soon be open to the public where the machines will be available to view and use. We intend to establish a venue that mixes traditional museum themes with modern participation and social activities. Gates intends to become a vibrant community that promotes the tradition of using manual sewing machines for future generations to enjoy. Gates will also house a restoration workshop that promotes and nurtures the skills required to maintain, preserve and conserve and in the last case restore antique sewing machines both belonging to the collections and others.

GATE’s is managed and operated by GATE’s Sewing Machine Museum (CIC).

Gates Museum is located in the beautiful Somerset town of Street whilst in development.

Gates (Sewing Machine) Museum
10a, The Tanyard
Leigh Road
STREET
Somerset
BA16 0HD
(UK)

GATE’s is currently under development and can be contacted via email: enquiries@gates-museum.com