Museum of Science and Industry

Follow the thread of Manchester's cotton industry as our Presenters take you on a whistle-stop tour of how cotton is processed from its raw state to the finished product - a piece of calico cloth. Go back in time to the working mills of 150 years ago and experience the deafening sounds of the mill machines. Find out how the machines changed peoples' lives and listen to the stories of what life was like for thousands of mill workers.

Some of our Presenters have first-hand experience of working in a textile mill. Learn about the working conditions, when respiratory diseases were rife and children as young as five were employed to sweep under these dangerous machines.