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At first water powered scribbling and carding
machines were installed in the merchant-manufacturers fulling
mills.
Gradually, because of the relatively slow rate of technological
innovation in the woollen industry, more processes were incorporated
as they became mechanised.
The emergence of mills mark a crucial turning
point in the history of woollen cloth production. As each stage
of the process was mechanised and centralised in the factory
system a progressive transformation of the domestic system and
established labour relations took place.
 The topography of Calderdale provided a prime
situation for early mill builders. Advantage was taken of abundant
streams to provide power capable of driving machinery for textile
processes when it became possible to perform them mechanically.
The building of turnpike roads and the construction
of the Rochdale Canal provided efficient transport links for
the movement of raw materials and finished cloth from the mill
sites to major markets and ports. Improved communications stimulated
urban development in the valley bottoms.
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