“I sell what all the world desires .......Power” and lots of that can be seen at the Bolton Steam Museum

Now if like me you belong to the generation that remembers travelling by trains pulled by steam locomotives there is something quite magic about those museums devoted to our industrial heritage.

It starts with that smell, a mix of steam, and warm oil, accompanied by the hiss of machines doing their business.

Then as you watch these magnificent engines transforming inert giant wheels and heavy iron beams into graceful and purposeful movement you feel the sense of power and above all admiration at the design and workmanship.

Of course that is so much romantic tosh.  These machines were designed for a purpose and that involved a lot of noise, a fair bit of dirt and more than a bit of danger.

It is easy to forget that machines designed to pump water or power countless textile frames were at the heart of our industrial revolution, and for every graceful steam machine there were relentless hours of hard toil on the part of miners, cotton workers and foundry operatives.

But that is not to diminish the machines themselves and as long as you don’t forget the darker side of working to the rhythm of steam these examples of our technological past are fascinating.

And there is no doubting that back at the end of the 18th century just as today they were impressive not least because of the promise of how they could transform our world.

So when Mathew Boulton was introduced to King George 111 and was asked what he did, Boulton simply replied, “Sire I sell what all the world desires .......Power.”

And that is just what I get when I see these machines, which is why I shall be visiting the Bolton Museum of Steam.  It has the largest collection of working steam engines in the UK and is free to visit, although they will not say no to a donation.

And given the large number of machines they have rescued and restored I think that is a small thing to ask.

The museum is located on "Morrison’s Atlas Mills, Supermarket site, next to the petrol station on Mornington Road, off Chorley Old Road."*

Now I could go on but the museum’s web site does it much better, so I suggest you call it up and like me make plans to visit.

And because the best time to see these machines is when they are working, steam days for 2014 are Sunday and Monday 24th and 25th August, Saturday and Sunday 13th and 14th September, Sunday and Monday 28th and 29th December.

Pictures; courtesy of Bolton Steam Museum

*Bolton Steam Museum, http://www.nmes.org/ 

The museum is located on Morrison’s Atlas Mills, Supermarket site, next to the petrol station on Mornington Road, off Chorley Old Road*, Bolton, BL1 4EU, situated 1.5 miles north-west of Bolton town centre on bus routes No 125 (Stagecoach) & No 519(First Bus) which run on Chorley Old Road (B6226)