Industrial Britain: An Architectural History

A fascinating history of Britain's industrial past as evidenced by its buildings, richly illustrated with line drawings. Industrial Architecture in Britain takes a catholic view of its subject, going back far beyond the mills and machine houses of the Industrial Revolution to cover the water mills and oast houses of agricultural production, and including too the often glorious buildings and engineering projects associated with the distribution of manufactured goods -- docks, canals, railways and warehouses. This architecture is only recently receiving recognition and protection, and this book elequently makes the case for treating mills and breweries with the same concern for heritage that is applied to churches, great houses, or castles.Dividing its huge subject by purpose, Industrial Architecture in Britain tells a story of industrial development and ultimate decline, as manufacturing has been increasingly supplanted by service industries, and new uses have to be found for at least some of Britain's great industrial buildings -- not least as containers for art.