From around 1750 Britain led a great change in how goods were made. Instead of hand tools in small workshops, machines in large factories, powered by steam, produced goods on a huge scale. Historians call this the Industrial Revolution.
Steam, coal and iron
James Watt improved the steam engine, giving factories a reliable source of power. Coal was burned to make steam, so coal mining grew rapidly, and iron — later steel — was used to build machines, bridges and rails.
Factories and railways
Textile mills used machines like the spinning jenny and power loom to make cloth far faster than by hand. Workers moved from the countryside to factory towns such as Manchester and Leeds. From the 1820s, steam railways linked towns and ports.
Put these milestones in order, earliest first:
- James Watt improves the steam engine (1770s)
- Textile mills spread across Britain, powered by steam
- The Stockton and Darlington Railway opens (1825)
- Factory Acts limit children's working hours
Life in the new towns
| Benefits | Hard conditions |
|---|---|
| More jobs and cheaper goods | Long hours, often 12 or more a day |
| Faster travel and trade | Crowded, unhealthy housing |
| New wealth and inventions | Dangerous machines and dirty air |
Young children worked in mills and mines, doing tiring and risky jobs for low pay, and disease spread easily in overcrowded streets with poor drains.
Reform and improvement
Over time, people campaigned for change. Factory Acts limited the hours children could work and set a minimum age; later laws improved public health, sewers and clean water; trade unions grew to defend workers.
By 1900 Britain was the workshop of the world, but its factories were slowly becoming safer and its towns healthier than at the start.