As the most central town in England, for over a century Nuneaton's position in the country made it a 'boom town', full of jobs and industrial activity. Not only this, but North Warwickshire was positioned on a valuable bed of minerals which gave it an even greater viability. Of course it has not always been like this. During the middle of the nineteenth century the town fell on hard times. It had been extremely reliant on a very narrow trade, the silk ribbon industry, a fickle and faddy side of the fashion business which rose and fell by vagaries of women's clothing requirements which was entirely dictated by London fashion. Another factor which effected this business was the imports of foreign silk. When we were at war with the French, the local silk trade boomed, but once peace treaties were in place, French silks, which were regarded far more desirable to London tastes, suppressed local North Warwickshire products. By 1860 the silk trade was almost dead.

But over a period of years a small miracle happened. The coal and clay industries that had existed for centuries and had underpinned the decline in the silk trade underwent a remarkable transformation, new extraction techniques, new mining engineers, fresh capital invigorated the industry. In addition, by some miracle entrepreneurs came to the area and, using the skills of former silk weavers, established entirely new industries, cotton spinning, elastic web manufacturing, and cloth making soaked up large portions of the working population. Whereas by the 1870s the local population was in decline, by 1881 that decline had been arrested and over the next eighty years the area boomed. However, it is a salutary tale to say that most of that industry has gone today. The factories and mills were closed never to be replaced. While the town faces an economic downtown, it is perhaps vital to recall its proud industrial heritage. This book recalls the factories and mills which once made Nuneaton a boom town.

All of them have gone.