This fascinating industrial museum will get a £2.4 million revamp

Moira Furnace Museum combines two things you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find together: a rich industrial history and 36 acres of beautiful parkland. And better yet, the unlikely gem in Ashby, Leicestershire could see a whopping £2.4 million invested in the site’s future.

The Moira Furnace Museum reopened just last month following the first phase of a major regeneration project. It was closed for just over a year to undergo £490,000 worth of extensive repairs to treat water damage. Now open, plans are being laid out for the next phase of the redevelopment, which could see the museum get a brand-new visitor centre with a café and a playground.

Constructed in 1804, the Moira Furnace is one of the best-preserved examples of an Industrial Revolution foundry in the country. It was designated a scheduled ancient monument back in the 1970s, with North West Leicestershire District Council now running the site in partnership with the Moira Furnace Museum Trust.

Visitors can tap into exhibitions retelling the history of the foundry in full operation, complete with recreated historic cottages so that you can get a real sense of the experiences of people who worked at the site all those years ago.

Beyond the walls of the museum is the National Forest, plus a 36-acre country park with picnic spots, woodland trails and cycle paths, which are all dog-friendly. You can also grab a seat on the 100-year-old narrowboat that runs along the Ashby Canal, a relaxing trip that won’t take you far from the museum.

The museum and boat rides are open from April through to late October, with the country park open year-round. There are plenty of events coming up too. Monthly classic car rallies take place on the second Tuesday of every month, where owners of vintage motors can proudly show ’em off. June will bring a weekend of American War of Independence reenactments, with living history lessons about both British and American armies. Check out the Moira Furnace website for the full events calendar.

Did you see that one of the UK's most popular museums will soon reopen?

Plus: This medieval northern town – known for its historic abbey – is getting a dazzling £32 million regeneration.

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