Why was England the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution?

Early in 1700 the emergence of the ‘Industrial Revolution’, began with steam power, canals for transporting materials and factories which would revolutionized the United Kingdom’s economy for generations to come.

Industries were generally small scale and mostly related to textile production and concentrated in small workshops or in the homes using spinners, weavers and dyers which we now recognize as a cottage industry. Regions of the UK specializing in different products: metal production in the Midlands, and coal mining in the North-East. Limited sources of power however, dwarf industrial development because during the textile mills, heavy machinery and the pumping of coal mines all depended heavily on waterwheels, windmills and horsepower. The introduction of steam technology began to change the economy in dramatic ways. Thomas Newcomen, first unveiled his steam-driven piston engine, which allowed the more efficient pumping of deep mines. But, the growing demand for coal after 1750 revealed serious problems with Britain’s transport system. As a result, the growing demand for essential raw material, many mine owners and industrial speculators began financing new networks of canals, in order to link their mines more effectively with the growing canters of population and industry.