ABSTRACT
An improved system of transport was a necessary part of Britain’s early industrialization. Only by this means could the raw materials and industrial products of different regions be moved over distances from their point of production to their place of consumption. Tradi tionally, most goods had been transported either on the roads or via river navigations. Waggons and carts transferred agricultural samples, gold, silver and copper, industrial goods, and, to a limited extent, were also involved in passenger travel. River boats and barges con centrated on the haulage of heavy raw materials such as gravel, slate, brick and timber, but also carried barley, malt, corn and other agri cultural commodities; their most important freight, however, was coal. These modes of transport continued to exist in 1850 as they had done in 1750 but were improved by newer developments such as canals and railways, both of which necessitated substantial financial investment. There were also important changes in the costs of internal transport in the century after 1750 and, on the roads and railways, in the speed of travel. Whether the different types of transport effectively complemented one another and provided a truly nationwide network of internal communications will be discussed later.
