The Machine Shop is in part of the original stable block used by the quarry.
It houses a range of working machine tools and displays, representing the type of workshop which existed from Victorian times right through into the 1960s.


Precision tooling at work


At first, workshop machines were powered by one stationary engine, through a network of flat belts, line shafting and pulleys.

This was typically succeeded by a single electric motor, as in the Machine Shop at Amberley, which was used to power a number of tools. During the 20th century, developments in electric motor technology enabled each machine to be fitted with its own integral motor, and nowadays computer-controlled machines carry out a range of sophisticated operations.