Day Two: The Cotton Mills in Manchester

 I woke up bright and early to see the cotton mills in Manchester. However, the first thing I noticed was the hazy, gray sky as clouds of smoke filled the horizon. As I looked into the distance, the sheer number of factory chimneys stunned me; they covered the entire skyline. I grabbed my belongings and approached a giant factory, built of brick, which housed a massive cotton mill. Without hesitation, I stepped inside, and my ears started to ring from the overwhelming noise of the clattering machines. Workers were shouting just to be heard, but the machines still muffled their voices. The conditions were extremely harsh, with very young children working alongside adults. I encountered a very young boy who was only eight years old, and he told me his workdays were often as long as 16 hours, starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m. ("Report"). Not only that, the child also informed me that he and his sister often did not eat their lunch because it had been spoiled by the dust and lint in the mill ("Report").  

After speaking with the young boy, I finally started to look around at my surroundings. I noticed the machinery that thousands of men, women, and children were using. This machinery was steam-powered, which allowed cotton to be mass-produced. Further, the moving rollers drew out the cotton, then the rotating spindles turned it into an even thread (Science). All the people working at these machines seemed exhausted, with cotton dust surrounding them. The sheer exhaustion and lack of sleep were visible on their faces, especially the faces of the children. 

Wyld, William. Manchester from Kersal Moor, with Rustic Figures and Goats. 1852



Works Cited

“Report from the Committee on the ‘Bill to Regulate the Labour of Children in the Mills and Factories of the United Kingdom’: With the Minutes of Evidence, ...” HathiTrust, 2023, babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c057932705&seq=11. 


Science and Industry Museum. “Our Curator’s Guide to the Textiles Gallery.” YouTube, 2 Aug. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwgY4yQIJ8s. 


Wyld, William. Manchester from Kersal Moor, with Rustic Figures and Goats. 1852. Royal Collection Trust, London. Google Arts & Culture, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/manchester-from-kersal-moor-with-rustic-figures-and-goats-wyld-william/NgFNnVH0ukXcEQ.

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