Richard Arkwright’s Water Frame and the First Textile Factories
How significant was the invention of the Water Frame to the progression of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the textile industry in Britain?
The Water Frame was a key invention to the progression of industrialization of the textile industry in Britain. It was invented by Richard Arkwright in 1764 and was the main reason that cloth production was moved out of homes and into factories (“Innovations of the Industrial Revolution”). At the time of its invention, a lot of new machinery was being developed for use in the textile industry but Arkwright’s was the first to be too big to be used in homes and required water power to function. I will be analyzing the cause, course, effect, and the significance of the impact of this machine on the progression of the Industrial Revolution and the industrialization of the textile industry in Britain.