Limited waterpower contributed to rise of steam power in British "Cottonopolis".

ABSTRACT: The Industrial Revolution precipitated a pivotal shift from waterpower to coal-fueled steam power in British textile mills. Although it is now widely accepted that steam was chosen to power factories despite the availability of sufficient waterpower resources across most of Britain, the location and suitability of that waterpower during the early 19th century remain underexplored. Here, we employ quantitative fluvial geomorphology alongside historical climate data, factory records, and a catalog of over 26,000 mill sites to reveal that waterpower was abundant for most of early 19th century Britain, except in the central hub of British cotton production: Greater Manchester in the Mersey Basin. Our findings show that surging factory mechanization and overcrowding on key waterways in the Mers

SUBMITTER: Jonell TN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11249955 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature