Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only places of production until the advent of industrialization and the development of larger factories. In the 20th and 21st century, many Western homes contained a workshop in either the garage, basement, or an external shed. Home workshops typically contain a workbench, hand tools, power tools, and other hardware. Along with the practical application of repairing goods, workshops are often used to tinker and make prototypes.^[1][2][3]

Some workshops focus exclusively on automotive repair or restoration although there are a variety of workshops in existence today. Woodworking, metalworking, electronics, and other types of electronic prototyping workshops are among the most common.

Early humans likely engaged in workshops, though they weren't formalized. These spaces were simple places where tools were made and early technologies like stone tools, weapons and pottery were crafted. As society progressed, more specialized trades such as weaving, metalworking and carpentry began to emerge.

In ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, workshops were central to the production of goods, often operated on a small scale, with individual craftsmen or small groups making items like pottery, jewellery or tools. These workshops were sometimes located near temples or in the heart of urban areas. The Romans had "fabricae," or workspaces dedicated to creating goods, from weapons and armor to textiles. Many were sometimes quite large, employing multiple workers and were organized and part of larger industrial operations, like the production of pottery, metalwork or textiles.

By the Middle Ages, workshops began to take on more formalized structures, often governed by trade guilds. Guilds were organizations of craftsmen and merchants, who regulated the quality of work, set standards for apprenticeships and ensured fair competition. These workshops were responsible for everything from blacksmithing and tailoring to bookbinding and carpentry.

Workshops became highly influential in arts during the Renaissance. Many great artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, operated their own workshops, which were places where they trained apprentices and collaborators. These workshops were where masterpieces like sculptures, paintings and architectural designs were brought to life.

With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, traditional craft workshops began to be replaced by larger-scale factories. This period marked the beginning of mass production and the use of machines in the manufacturing process. However, smaller workshops, often specializing in skilled labor, still persisted. These workshops consistently focused on creating high-quality, handcrafted items that couldn't be replicated by machines.

After World War II, there was a revival of interest in craft and small-scale workshops as a form of self-expression and artistic production. Many artists and designers began to operate their own workshops to create bespoke products, from furniture to pottery. These were often seen as both functional spaces for creation and important cultural hubs for craftsmanship.

Workshops evolved again in the 21st century with the rise of "maker spaces" or "hackerspaces." These are collaborative workspaces that combine traditional craftsmanship with new technologies like 3D printing, laser cutting and robotics. These spaces became hubs for creativity and innovation, where individuals come together to design, build and prototype ideas.

In some repair industries, such as locomotives and aircraft, the repair operations have specialized workshops called back shops or railway workshops. Most repairs are carried out in small workshops, except where an industrial service is needed.

• Hackspace
• Laboratory
• Machine shop, with machines for metalworking
• Skylab orbital workshop
• Studio
• The New Yankee Workshop
• Welding table
• Woodshop

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