Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life — Attraction in Scotland

This is a stunning and sensational museum in the heart of Lanarkshire. The museum talks about the Industrial heritage of Lanarkshire and that heavy industries that made it a Scottish Economic Powerhouse and heartland and delivers the story in an extremely informative and interesting way. The museum covers Industries such as The Coal, Steel and Timber Industries and there are informative and easy to understand displays about these Industries and some interesting artefacts and the museum covers how the Monkland Canal was able to to provide the transport of goods required for the Industrial age that started in Lanarkshire. There are some interesting steam engines on display which are in fantastic condition and give you an idea of how the powered and were used in certain industries. There are some interesting artefacts such as Stone work from Medieval Times, samples of Iron and Slag from the Steelmaking processes. These displays are inside the main building as you come into the museum and inside this building there are also interesting displays about how these Industries shaped the communities they served and how they loved covering topics such as Religion, Workers Rights, Health and Welfare, Sport, Cinema and other aspects of Social Life and there on these topics there is some interesting artefacts to see such as an Old Dentist Chair, Sport Trophies, Cinema Chairs and Musicial Instruments. On the outside of the premises you can see some interesting cranes and a Steam Locomotive, which is the Garratt Locomotive. Visitors can also enjoy a ride on a tram and there is a tram shed where you can see them in great condition and you can visit a Sawmill and see the interesting timber exhibition. Other interesting areas are The Mine where you can enjoy a tour and also visit Miners Row and Gardens and see how people lived in the Lanarkshire area from time periods over the last 200 years giving you an idea of what living conditions were like and how people during the Industrial age in Lanarkshire, which is very enlightening. Visitors can also see a Sweet Shop, Boatshed and also the Vulcan Boat one of the very first Iron boats and an interesting exhibition about it. There is also the engineering pavilion where you can see some interesting bits of machinery and how they powered certain industries which is another great sight and read. There is a cafe selling a range of refreshments at reasonable prices and also a gift shop with a lovely range of souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall this is a nice pleasant and great place to visit and makes for a fantastic day out to learn about the Scottish Industries that powered Lanarkshire. Well worth a visit whilst in the...

A really well-produced living museum, sort of a smaller version of Beamish near Newcastle but this one is free entry.

We loved visiting the houses that were each furnished according to different decades. Lots to look at and reminisce over for older folk (like me!) but also a tremendous learning opportunity for younger people. Lovely traditional sweatshop to buy from.

Sadly the trams are not running at the moment so if that’s what you’re going for, check their website or give them a ring. They haven’t been running since Oct 22 but were were assured they will definitely be back running again, just not sure when.

We had a fascinating chat with some of the guys doing restoration work on the different vehicles. They were really friendly and never made us feel like we were disturbing them. They were the best bit of our visit because I’m really interested in old vehicles. My uncle used to be a clippy on the trams and trolley buses of Glasgow back in the 60s and 70s.

There is a lot set up for educational purposes so it’s a great place for schools to take classes but it’s done in such a way that the children will still have fun while learning.

There is a decent cafe for a snack and drink and there are toilets inc for disabled. Prices are very good.

The place is well laid out so even if the trams aren’t running, it is easy to walk around as it’s all flat. I am disabled and walk with a stick but I was able to take it slowly and see all the site.

A tremendous place to visit...

We love coming here for the exhibitions and events through the year. Food and refreshments are affordable, and the toilets are spotless. Staff are cheery, and the shop is appealing. All the indoor exhibits are well-labelled. There's a good range of helpful videos too, and some hands-on items. Outdoors, there are lovely walks with minimal litter. A number of interesting old items of machinery and railway locomotives are awaiting restoration, or perhaps painting, to prevent them deteriorating. A little more information about these unique artifacts would be helpful. I appreciate that much of the restoration work is done by dedicated volunteers. The working trams are a tremendous achievement. Best of all, admission is free. This means folks will return, even for part of the day, if they want to explore further.

My fellow exhibitors love meeting so many inquisitive youngsters. We all learn about the world in our own ways, in our own time. There are still plenty of parents willing to help their children discover new, real things that can be felt, smelt and handled.

My only niggle would be that dogs are not allowed anywhere on the site, not even outdoors. I'm guessing that this rule is made to prevent non-visitors, especially local dog owners over-using the nice grounds. I appreciate that in the cafeteria, it's not always safe to have excited youngsters, dogs and hot drinks so...