For 150 years Manchester's economy was dominated by cotton textiles. This comprehensive and important illustrated study of the area's mills will be of interest to a wide readership, including historians, textile workers and students of architecture. For 150 years the economy of Greater Manchester was dominated by cotton textiles. This book traces the development of cotton mills in the area from the early days of mechanisation through to the industry's demise in the early twentieth century. It looks at how construction techniques evolved, how building design reflects what went on in the mill, and how the machinery was powered. This evolving story is placed firmly in the context of the processes involved in cotton manufacturing and of the changing character of the region. Numerous photographs and drawings illustrate the story, and the book includes an invaluable gazetteer of mill sites within the county. This comprehensive and important study of Greater Manchester's cotton mills will be of interest to a wide readership. Economic and architectural historians, people working in the textile industry or concerned with the region's urban and reral landscapes and those interested in the region generally will all find a great deal of new material in this work.