ABSTRACT
The heavy industries grew to maturity between 1870 and 1914. As coal, marine engineering and steel ships climbed to commanding positions in the national and international economy Clydeside took its place among the world’s leading centres of industry. Cotton textiles in the region did not share this success, and alone of its staple industries, slid slowly towards contraction and decline. This prospect was apparent, but by no means inevitable, in the 1870s. The stripping away of decades of surplus spinning capacity had eliminated some weaknesses, but dangers remained in the shape of obsolescent technology and limited product ranges, together with the absence of any major renovation.
