More Narrowboat Fun

It was lovely to see Macclesfield's silk museums featured on BBC1's The Boat That Guy Built last night. I was very interested to watch this episode as I explored the story of the silk industry and the growth of Cheshire's canal network in Regency Cheshire.

While Guy has brought Britain's industrial past to life each week while restoring his narrowboat, one aspect of life I don't think he's mentioned is that child workers were used in many of the trades and industries he's explored. Children were used as cheap labour in the silk and cotton industries, and metal industries, and you'll be able to read more about their stories in The Children History Forgot when it's launched later this year.
Image: Macclesfield, early 1900s. Etching by Roger Oldham (1871-1916) for Picturesque Cheshire (Sherratt & Hughes, 1903.)