Milling About

The first stop on our trip to the North was the Quarry Bank Mill. It is one of the surviving cotton mills that has been turned into a museum. They go through the process of turning cotton plants to woven cloth both before and after the Industrial Revolution. My favourite part was the before machines. I wish I had the time to learn how to use a spinning wheel and loom. They take some work to use properly, but it looked like an enjoyable task. As the tour through the museum continued they had the old machines that were used, all still in working order. I am so glad that I never have to work with them. The noise alone is awful. Most went deaf working in the mills. But then factor in cancer-causing grease, cotton and dust choking the air, and the dangers if any part of you or your clothes were caught in the machine. Just spending a few minutes with a quarter of the number of machines they would have had at one time left my throat clogged and my voice gravelly from all the dust. Yet life in the Quarry Bank Mill was incredibly better than life in the slums of Manchester or Liverpool. After the mill, we continued on to Liverpool. We arrived late in the evening, so we only had time for dinner and walking around the immediate area by the youth hostel. So much happened the next few days that I have to split it up rather than one huge entry.