Standfast & Barracks Factory Tours
Caton Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 3PA
We have been opening our factory doors to the public for 8 years now as part of Heritage Open Days.
Visitors see the journey of the fabric from preparation, conventional and digital printing, and finishing, alongside a visit to the design studio to see how the life of a design begins. A favourite is always a glimpse into the archive, where we house over 20,000 documents ranging from textiles, quilts and wallpaper dating back to the 17th century. Fabrics have been printed on this site since 1924, making this year (2024) extra special for us as we celebrate our centenary. The building, which dates back to 1864, has a rich history as a wagon works and prisoner of war camp. Our tours are led by the people who work at Standfast & Barracks, making them personal and insightful.
This year we will be opening our doors for 2 days; 7th September and 14th September.
Caton Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 3PA
Your tour should last between 1 hour 15 and 1 hour 30, but please make sure you arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the tour start time. The signing-in point will be located at reception (identified by pink signs and bunting). You will also need to receive a full health and safety briefing here before your tour. The tour is around 1 mile long in total, and so there is quite a bit of walking and standing involved. Please make sure you wear comfortable, flat, sturdy, closed toe footwear (high-heels or sandals are not permitted), and bring small bags which you are happy to carry around.
The tours receive a huge amount of interest, and we often have a waiting list, so please do cancel your attendance if you are unable to make it to allows others the chance to visit. • Please note that the tour is mostly wheelchair accessible, but there are some areas which are unsuitable. Unfortunately, we cannot offer disabled toilet facilities at this time. There is limited disabled parking available. • No dogs are permitted except guide dogs; please do inform us if you are planning to bring a guide dog with you to the event. Photography is permitted, but there are some restrictions.