In this section you will find articles relating to the Cotton Industry which was the most important industry in the towns of Blackburn and Darwen. It starts during the eighteenth century with the beginnings of the textile trade, continues into the nineteenth century when Blackburn became one of the most important cotton producers in the world, concluding with the slow decline of the industry in the twentieth century.
The “Handloom Era” focuses on the living and working conditions experienced by the weavers and spinners of Blackburn and Darwen. It explains about the machinery they used, the good and the bad times, and the decline of the “Handloom Era”. It also gives a comprehensive list of hand loom weavers cottages in Blackburn and Darwen, some of which, are still occupied in the 21st century.
In the “Mechanisation of the Mills” you will find Information on the beginnings of powered weaving and spinning, the growth of the mills, life in the mills, riots, the effects of the American Civil War and much more.
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