Lancashire and the Industrial Revolution
During the Industrial Revolution, cotton mills sprang up across Lancashire. Lancashire and the Pennines offered the ideal location for cotton factories for numerous reasons.
Firstly, the decline of domestic industry left a surplus of skilled workers looking for work. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Lancashire was known for its wool industry. It also had skilled workers.
Secondly, raw cotton, which came in from places like Turkey and the Middle East, could easily enter Lancashire via the ports in Liverpool.
What’s more, cottons mills were dependent on running water as a source of power. Water that came from the nearby Pennines was ideal for this, particularly because it was soft water so could be used for washing the cotton.
Not only did the county have a good access to water, but coal was also abundant in Lancashire. This meant that as factories relied more on steam power rather than water power there was still fuel available.
Lancashire’s cotton industry was relatively new, which meant new entrepreneurs were attracted to it, including Richard Arkwright, whose inventions acted as a stimulus for the industry.
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