Revolution

The industrial revolution not only changed the face of Britain, it changed the world. For the first time, buildings were constructed just for 'work' and vast cities and slums were created. Factories and workhouses brought a look, sound and smell like nothing before them. In the countryside where medieval technology of water mills changed to steam power derived from coal, the rural idylls built around mills and streams ended. Canals to carry the coal barges were dug, snaking through the countryside from the factories to the ports. The age of steam also brought the railway and travel was no longer the sole preserve of the wealthy.