Kvarnbygården, Royens gata 8, Mölndal

This homestead belonged to a miller and was known as Millwaterfall no. 21 by the waterfalls of Mölndal. The white timber house was erected in 1805 by the owner of the mill, John Roy, who had immigrated to Gothenburg – in those days called “Little London” – from Stirling in Scotland.

The redbrick house, cowshed and stables were added to the homestead in the 1840s.

The mill was situated in Götaforsliden between “Great Götafors” and “Little Götafors” (Götaforsliden 13 and 15, respectively). This yard is now an open space, called “Roy’s mill place” overlooking the waterfalls. Three generations of the Roy family lived in this homestead for approximately 130 years.
In 1936 Mölndals Hembygdsförening (Mölndal Local Heritage Association) bought the homestead and started a museum there in 1937. Some of the rooms in the white house contain old pieces of furniture, most of them donated by Greta Jonsson, nee Califf. The parlour is now used for exhibitions.

The staircase leads to the attic, which contains a classroom and a room for weaving. The brick house next door accommodates among other things a large collection of antiques obtained locally, a room with models of carts, carriages and buildings, together with a collection of weapons and a photo and reading room containing thousands of photographs.

From the yard one can hear the roar of the Mölndal waterfalls. Thanks to the so-called “Roy’s Staircase”, one can take a shortcut and easily reach the other museums in Götaforsliden.

The Museum of Industry and Agriculture, Götaforsliden 14, Mölndal

Thanks to its waterfalls, Mölndal became a hub of industry at a relatively early stage. Kvarnbygatan was one of the two main streets in the village, the other being Götaforsliden.

Here, the Museum of Industry and Agriculture is located in a former storehouse, where exhibits from the industries and enterprises that made Mölndal well known are on display, such as the paper mills, textile mills and handbag industries. In addition, some new industries and enterprises are represented, for example Ericsson Microwave Systems AB, Astra Zeneca and Q-Matic.

There was a risk that the industrial history of Mölndal would be forgotten, but Mölndals Hembygdsförening (Mölndal Local Heritage Association) began collecting machines and other equipment to prevent such a loss. The Museum of Industry opened to the public for the first time on April 8, 1989.

Until well into the 20th century, Götaforsliden was not only a street of factories but also of cattle. Both cowsheds and stables were located here. However, when the ploughed fields and pastures were built on, the farmers went out of business.

It was an urgent task to collect and preserve artefacts, books and photographs from the agricultural era. In 1983 the Museum of Agriculture was opened to the public. The equipment is arranged in the order in which the farmer used the implements when sowing and subsequently harvesting. The machines and tools used from ploughing to threshing as well as the work with the straw and grain are also on display.

Separate areas are dedicated to the cultivation of potatoes and vegetables. Large sections of John Svensson’s forge can be seen. There are also carriages, carts and sledges produced by the blacksmiths of Mölndal. The finest one is the carriage of Carl Block, vicar of Mölndal and later bishop of the diocese of Gothenburg.

The Museum of Homes, Housekeeping and Handicraft, Götaforsliden 14, Mölndal

The Museum of Homes, Housekeeping and Handicraft was opened in March 1996 after some years of planning and building inner walls as well as a ceiling in the attic above the Museum of Industry. This was achieved thanks to many donators and the diligent work of the members of our association.

The living room and kitchen of Toltorpsdalen (a valley in Mölndal) constitute an example of a flat from the 1930s. The furniture and kitchen cupboards were used in the village of Toltorp and in Toltorpsdalen. The other artefacts and household utensils were donated from homes in other parts of Mölndal.

The washing and mangling room shows the work involved in washing clothes from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. We have preserved Mölndal’s last butcher’s shop, which can also be seen in this section.

Most of the handicrafts have changed. When shoes and clothes were manufactured industrially, shoemakers and tailors more or less lost their livelihood. Here we show Nilsson’s shoemaker’s workshop and Hansson’s tailoring business with equipment and tools from bygone days.

In Carlström’s watchmaker’s shop in Kvarnbygatan (the main street of old Mölndal) many inhabitants of Mölndal bought their clocks and also handed them in for repair.

Rondo’s type-setting room reminds us of the enormous development that has taken place over the years in the printing industry.

The beehives and other equipment show the work of a beekeeper.