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About Industrial Powerhouse

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Explore the industrial heritage of England’s Northwest and discover museums, mills, waterways, railways, steam sheds, trails, events, ideas and surprising stories from the era when the region led the world in transport, power, textiles and fashion, radical thinking, industrious labour and inspired construction. Over 150 years of industrial heritage and fantastic new attractions are just a click away...

Just like buying a house or setting up a business, three things are important Location, Location, Location. Revolutions don't just happen anywhere.

It wasn't by accident that the creation of the industrial world happened in the Northwest. It happened here because it could only happen here. The location made it the perfect place for industry to flourish. England’s Northwest had the land and coastal ports, the people, the water supply from the hills, and the creative nous which led to the world's first industrialised society.

The first fully developed industrial society was that of Southern Lancashire through to parts of North Cheshire. Over 250 years ago, this spark of industry led to a revolution that changed not only the region, but also the world. Mighty industries were created - cotton, manufacturing, transport and mining - new, awe-inspiring inventions became mechanised reality, and modern cities were born, bringing propserity for some, and terrible working and living condition for many. It was a period of industrial change and growth which had not been seen before, or indeed since.

Whirring textile looms and roaring steam engines epitomise the Industrial Revolution, but they wouldn’t have been possible without the region’s people. Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and Cumbria together became a melting pot of ideas, inventions and people from around the world. From the Duke of Bridgewater and his canal, to Samuel Crompton and the Spinning Mule to Engels and Marx, all made the North West their home and left their legacy. Achievements of this era reverburate today, not only in industry, but also through Electoral Reform, Free Trade, the Trades Union Congress and the Votes for Women movement.

Evidence of this unique period of history can still be discovered throughout the region. Remnants of the industrial age still define much of the region’s landscape from the cotton mills of Lancashire to Albert Dock in Merseyside. Its impossible not to stumble across this fascinating legacy, still visible in todays 21st century world.

England’s Northwest is the place to discover and re-live the Industrial Revolution and Industrial Powerhouse is the source of information to find out more. Whether it’s through walks and trails through the regions countryside, waterways and great cities, or at the many events and attractions dotted around the North West, let this website be your guide.

The website is based around the six themes: Fashion, exploring the textile industry; The Revolutionaries, highlighting the region’s political past; Power, linked to engineering and Transporting the World which explores water and rail’s transport heritage; The Workers, who made it all possible; and How We Built Britain, celebrating the landscape and architectural legacy of the region's industrious past.

Throughout the site there is a whole host of industrial heritage information on attractions, the latest events and news, competitions and heritage trails throughout the region.

Industrial Powerhouse brings the industrial heritage of the Northwest to life - a new tourism trend, creating great visits and short breaks with a difference…

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