Before Cotton Left Britain: Inside Bancroft Mill Where The Weaving Looms Still Run

💬 This is the deafening noise that powered Britain's Industrial Revolution. At its peak, thousands of men and women spent their days surrounded by the relentless clatter of weaving looms - a workplace so loud that many workers gradually lost their hearing.

⚡ Yet despite the dangers, becoming a weaver was a skilled and sought-after job. Britain's cotton industry transformed Lancashire into the workshop of the world, with entire communities built around the mills. But what was daily life really like inside them?

In this episode I visit Bancroft Mill, one of the last surviving steam-powered weaving sheds, where the looms still run today. Secretary of the museum Ian McKay explains what it was like to be a cotton weaver, why so many people chose the profession, and what happened when Britain's once-mighty cotton industry began to disappear.

Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before

🎧 Stay tuned to learn about:

➡ What a weaving shed really sounded like

➡ Why many weavers gradually lost their hearing

➡ How James Nutter opened this mill having come from nothing

➡ How Lancashire became the heart of the world's cotton industry

➡ Why Britain's cotton mills eventually fell silent

➡ What life was really like for the people who powered the Industrial Revolution

About the podcast:

What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.

About your host:

Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.

Connect with Ollie:

Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou 

Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk