Date: 23 Feb 2010
Do you have any memories of the Royal Small Arms Factory?
If so, we would like to hear from you!
We are carrying out an exciting new project at our Interpretation Centre. The aim of this project is to record and display memories of people who worked at the factory, or lived near it.
We will make a video to show in the Interpretation Centre to let others know what life here was really like. We will also make an education pack for local schools.
We need your stories. What was life like living near the factory? Did you work there? What was it like? Were you a member of the union? Did your parents work in the factory too? Do you have anything you might like to show us from the factory?
One of the aims of the RSA Trust is about promoting the history of the site. We want to give the full story of the factory, from precision engineering prowess to social events.
The Interpretation Centre is our ‘museum’. It opened in 2001. You can visit it between 10:00am and 2:00pm Mondays to Fridays. Just ask in the Management Office to be let in. The displays include model machine tools, engineers’ toolsets and examples of some of the factory’s products. This includes a ‘sectioned’ Lee Enfield No. 1 rifle.
You can also learn about our 1783 Thwaites & Reed clock and our bell, Albert. The clock still works and Albert still tolls throughout the day.