Welcome to the Industrious East!
From the moment you set foot in the East of England you will be entranced by its variety and quiet beauty. The Industrious East is a network of Industrial Heritage Museums and other attractions designed for a different visitor experience. The region once carried an amazing variety of industries. Industrial giants like Courtaulds and Marconi originated here. Railways such as the line from Liverpool Street to Colchester were amongst the first to be built, anywhere in the world. In Victorian times, huge maltings dominated the landscape, supplying malt for beer making. The regions industrial prosperity began with the coming of the railways and lasted until the last decades of the twentieth century. Many monuments remain as mute testimonials to this great adventure.

The Industrious East is here to tell the full story and to invite you to visit the places where exciting developments actually happened. The hugely-important Industrial Revolution came late to eastern England but nevertheless, like a sleeping giant, the region awoke slowly to the challenge of providing essential commodities like food and drink to the UK´s growing industrial population. Here fuel other than timber was in short supply, as were most raw materials. This meant that industry developed gradually, in response to the needs of agriculture, commerce and construction. The arrival of the railways brought fundamental changes to the regions market towns from the mid-nineteenth century, bringing new forms of employment and connecting its growing industries to wider markets.Bricks from Peterborough and Bedford dominated London's great expansion.

Join us as we explore places and stories in detail. We will help you to understand the industrialised landscape of the present day and to appreciate the working conditions and challenges of the past.