About

Robert Owen was one of the most influential thinkers and social reformers of his time. The Robert Owen Museum in Newtown, Powys houses a collection of objects, pictures and written material relating to his life.

The Robert Owen Museum is in the centre of Newtown, Powys just a few feet from where Owen was born and houses a collection of objects, pictures and written material relating to the life of Robert Owen. It tells the story of Robert Owen (1771 - 1858) who inspired the Co-operative movement. He started his working life as a shop assistant and became a factory manager.

Life & Times of Robert Owen
He was born in Newtown, Powys, the son of saddler and ironmonger Robert Owen, and farmer’s daughter Anne Williams on May 14, 1771.

He was famous for his socialist principles and for caring for the welfare of his workers and campaigned and lectured throughout his life. In 1812-13 he wrote "A New View of Society" which explained his vision.

In his late twenties, Owen became a partner and manager of a large cotton mill at New Lanark on the River Clyde. He decided to create a model environment, improving the factory and village, built a school and provided a shop where quality goods could be bought at a fair price. The school curriculum included music, dancing and nature study. Visitors came from all over the world – even the Tsar of Russia.

In his late twenties, Owen became a partner and manager of a large cotton mill at New Lanark on the River Clyde. He decided to create a model environment, improving the factory and village, he built a school and provided a shop where quality goods could be bought at a fair price. The school curriculum included music, dancing and nature study. Visitors came from all over the world – even the Tsar of Russia.

Owen tried to repeat the success of New Lanark when in 1824 he created a model community in New Harmony, Indiana. The ideal was a village based on co-operation and profit sharing. New Harmony and similar experiments by his followers did not succeed as he had hoped, but his ideas continued to have influence. One group of followers in Rochdale set up the famous Co-operative shop in 1844, and pioneered the world wide co-operative movement.

Robert Owen's Newtown - short walking trail

This short walk starts from the Robert Owen Museum right in the centre of Newtown and takes in the sites most associated with Owen. Although Newtown has lost many of its 18th century buildings, you can still get a feel of Owen’s Newtown in the walk by the river and the views up and down the high street to the steep sides of the Severn Valley. The walk is just a few hundred yards and will take around 15 to 20 minutes.

Group Visits & School Groups
The Robert Owen Museum will try to accommodate requests for accompanied school visits, but this depends on the availability of one of our volunteers. An educational resource pack can be purchased from the museum in advance.

Simple and advanced level quiz sheets are available for school visits. Teachers are welcome to download them and make copies before their visit.