London Sewing Machine Museum

Entrance to the store/museum on Balham High Road
Entrance to the store/museum on Balham High Road

It’s the start of a fresh new year and I really want to get on to visiting some of the many, many museums in and around London. With that in mind, on the first Saturday of 2018 I headed down to the London Sewing Machine Museum, located near Tooting Bec Station in south London.

Industrial machines
Industrial machines
Industrial machine close-up
Industrial machine close-up

The Museum is on the top floor of the premises of the Sewing and Craft Superstore, just round the corner of the station. You go through the front entrance and up the stairs to be confronted with – unsurprising given the name of the museum – sewing machines. There is a room full of them, in fact, all of which are examples of those used in industry (the museum owner supplied all of the machines used in the film Made in Dagenham). In a room just beyond are the machines designed for domestic use, including several miniatures, a number designed to be folded away after use, and one that can be disguised as a lion when not in use. The shop front in the museum is from the original branch of the Wimbledon Sewing Machine Co. Ltd, founded by the grandfather of the present company director, Ray Rushton. He inherited his grandfather’s passion for sewing machines and is responsible for many of the collection’s gems.

Original shop front
Original shop front
Barthélemy Thimonnier's 1829 sewing machine
Barthélemy Thimonnier’s 1829 sewing machine
Victorian sewing machine
Victorian sewing machine

I’ve never used a sewing machine myself – I’ve always found them to be a bit scary – but I was fascinated by the museum, in no small part thanks to the enthusiastic volunteer who gave us a short guided tour of the space. If it hadn’t been for her I would certainly have missed Barthélemy Thimonnier’s unobtrusive wooden machine, the first widely-used and practical machine, invented in 1829. More obvious was the ornate Victorian machine gifted to Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter and used by her nurse for many years.

Charlie Chaplin's mother's sewing machine
Charlie Chaplin’s mother’s sewing machine
Boy George alongside the model that helped create his costumes
Boy George alongside the model that helped create his costumes

I certainly hadn’t expected to come across Charlie Chaplin and Boy George in the museum. Machines associated with both entertainers can be found here: the original sewing machine belonging to Chaplin’s mother, and an identical model to that used by Boy George’s mother to sew many of his early costumes.

The museum is surprisingly interesting even for those who aren’t massively into sewing machines, and it’s free too. Well worth visiting if you have a free Saturday afternoon.

FACTS

Address: 308 Balham High Road, London, SW17 7AA

Website: craftysewer.com/acatalog/London_Sewing_Machine_Museum

Opening Hours: 2am-5pm on the first Saturday of the month

Price: Free (donations welcomed)