In 1761 there were two earthquakes in London, a transit of Venus was observed in 120 locations around the world, George the Third was crowned King and, on July 17th, the first boatload of coals was borne smoothly along the Barton Aqueduct over the River Irwell on the Bridgewater Canal – the engineering marvel that was the wonder of its age.

In the turbulent times of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester’s demand for coal was insatiable and there was an urgent need to get it there quickly and cheaply. Mikron Theatre‘s new show takes us back to 1761, when three men had a vision and hundreds of others toiled to make it a reality. Over rivers, under rock, through Hell and High Water, they proved that determination can literally move mountains.