2019 Sewing Machine Museum
London Sewing Machine Museum - by Sue B
Last Saturday I finally visited the London Sewing Machine Museum based in Balham High Road, still run by an 81-year-old gentleman called Ray Rushton. Something I had been wanting to do for some time. It is right near Tooting Bec tube station so very accessible from Beckenham. It only opens once a month on the first Saturday in the month from 2pm until 5pm. I got there just about 2 o’clock and went up the stairs to the Museum. There are two very big rooms filled with old sewing machines, the first room has the industrial machines and through a small lobby is the other room with the domestic machines, a barrel organ and a mock up of the original Rushton shop.
We were greeted by a very cheerful young lady who was going to talk to us about the machines. In the end there must have been about 30 of us there and she was very surprised to have such a good turn out on a cold February day! It was a really interesting and funny talk with lots of anecdotes about Mr. Rushton! Some amazing sewing machines as well, a very rare old wooden treadle sewing machine still in working order, the sewing machine given to Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter for her wedding and apparently even Charlie Chaplin’s mothers treadle!!If you are interested in old machines as I am it is really well worth the visit. There is no charge but you are asked to make a donation to the Lifeboats or Leukaemia research. As it is part of Wimbledon Sewing Machines you can buy sewing accessories there and just down the road is a very big shop full of all manner of Craft supplies.