Shropshire Routes to Roots

5. Consumer manufacturing

How did Shropshire develop after the Industrial Revolution?

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the main industries in Shropshire were those one would expect in a rural community. These were related mainly to farming and its products. Among these was the trade in Welsh and Shropshire wool, which was the main economic base for Shrewsbury and Oswestry for many years. There were also many corn mills across the county, both water and wind powered, which supplied town as well as local needs. With the growth of industrialisation across Shropshire, came a substantial increase in population and the need to supply these new communities with goods. The Ironbridge complex adequately provided for major Industrial projects such as road, rail and canal, but there were still many areas where a local businessman could find a gap in the market, and nowhere more so than in the expanding towns.

What went on in Shrewsbury?

The effect of the Industrial Revolution on Shrewsbury can be seen as typical of similar effects taking place in many other towns in Shropshire during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Between 1750 and 1801, the population of Shrewsbury increased from 8,141 to 14,739, and in the next 30 years rose by another 30 per cent to nearly 20,000. Most of this fresh workforce was attracted to the newly developed industrial areas of Coleham and Castle Foregate, where in 1837, one commentator stated, '... a new town has arisen, extending in a direct line to the Old Heath Gate.'

Shrewsbury Industry - 19th Century Larger image, in a new window [104kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of Shropshire Newspapers]

The iron foundry and lead works provided the smaller goods that people wanted such as pans, pipes, buckets and spades. The flax mill at Spring Gardens, the world's first iron framed building, provided the material for the linen manufactory in Coleham, while the carriage and wagon works on the Old Potts Line near the Abbey made all the necessary equipment for the local railways. In Castle Foregate, the gas works provided the power for all this industry. This new found energy and work for those who wanted it, often came at a price, both in the working conditions and the general health of the individual.

What other industries grew in Shropshire?

Apart from industries that relied on a large workforce, working within an urban, industrial environment, there were those that could be found anywhere there was a supply of water and power. Some common industries, such as brewing, could be found in most locations, whilst other industries were just that little bit different.

Although the Industrial Revolution is best remembered for the large-scale innovations in mining, metallurgy and transport, local changes in industry and way of life have probably had just as much effect on the development of people in Shropshire.

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