ABSTRACT
There is no doubt that the physical geography of the Gorge had an impact-whether advantageous or detrimental-on the pattern of industrialisation. The steep-sided valley with minerals outcropping on each side, the small but fast-flowing streams and the river at the bottom provided a physical framework which shaped settlement and industrial development. Given that landscape evidence provides only part of the wider industrial picture, we have nevertheless shown that it is impossible to ignore the physical setting of the Gorge in understanding the decisions made by industrialists.
