Museum of Science and Industry

Many of the companies associated with our collections no longer exist, but some, such as Boddingtons, are still household names. Manchester's traditional heavy engineering industries were hit badly by the changing world economy of the 1960s and 1970s. The world-renowned locomotive manufacturer Beyer, Peacock & Co. Ltd in 1966 and the British Insulated Cables Company (BICC) closed the Trafford Park factory of W. T. Glover & Co. Ltd in 1970. Both companies had been in business for more than 100 years.

The companies featured in our information sheets illustrate the range and changing nature of business activity in the Manchester area. They include machine tool makers (such as Craven Brothers), scientific instrument manufacturers (such as Thomas Armstrong & Brother), textile merchants (such as Paterson Zochonis) and newer creative businesses (such as Factory Communications Ltd).