Swallowed up in History

There is no way to escape history in Manchester, the second largest city in England. As mentioned in the previous post, we were just around the corner from the Museum of Science and Industry. Manchester was and may still be the center of industry in England. Massive amounts of goods were sent from there to Liverpool for distribution throughout the world but probably most important were the mills. Lots of wool but it was really the center of cotton and textile production in the world.

In the Museum, four former warehouses and an old train station have been refurbished and stocked with massive amounts of history. 

Particularly fascinating to me was the story of women’s suffrage. Interesting stuff below:

 

 

As seen in the caption below, these women were serious about their cause!

I especially liked Emmeline (sound familiar Saydi) who worked tirelessly with her daughters for the cause.

 

Other fascinating things include this washing machine for towels from one of the large hotels.

As well as one of the first computers in Manchester:

 

 

One enormous section underground showed how Manchester went from horrid squalor and disease in the streets from lack of sanitation to amazing systems that now service the city. This sign before much was known about sanitation will make you smile, or maybe wretch!

There were lots of great old cars and planes:

And even one of the first planetariums in the background there.

Other amazing things were within a short distance of our hotel. A little park across the street had this marker in the center of the beautiful landscaping:

I thought the inscriptions were fascinating. This one was quite breathtaking:

 

In my mind the British architecture is unparalleled. Just look at their “Town Hall”:

We left Manchester with a new appreciation for not only the history of England but the history of the world! I have to say that for one who thought she didn’t like history as a kid, I love history!