See the machines that made Manchester’s cotton famous worldwide.

Dubbed 'Cottonopolis', Manchester was once the international centre of the cotton industry, and Oldham’s Platt Brothers & Co. Ltd. built textile machines for mills across the British Empire. The city's landscape is still shaped by its textile heritage.

Visit the Textiles Gallery to watch original 19th century machinery spin yarn into cloth in our daily demonstrations.

Learn about the characteristics of different materials, and have a go at braiding and weaving.

Follow the production process through design, printing and finishing, and find out what happens to textiles when they’re recycled.