Revolutionary Town

Learn all about the origins of the textile industry and the story of one of Bolton's most famous sons, Samuel Crompton, inventor of the spinning mule in 1779. The spinning mule went on to change the town and the textile industry for ever.

Explore other aspects of the industry including the cotton industries connection to the slave trade, working conditions for mill workers, how the mills were powered and what the mill buildings looked like.

Highlights include -

• An new interactive computer to show how the spinning mule worked
• A 3D film of a meeting between two of the greatest inventors of the industrial revolution; Samuel Crompton and Richard Arkwright
• A completely renovated 'governor' from one of the mills in Bolton
• A stunning stained glass window that tells the story of one of the families who made their fortune in the textile industry.