By the middle of the 18th century, with the relaxation in the laws governing its import, Lancashire's woolen mills began slowly to switch production to cotton. This was fraught with problems, not least because of the resistance put up by wool merchants and their workers. It was not long, however, before Lancashire folk began to reap the rewards of producing cotton goods and the county became known as the 'Cotton Capital of the World'.

With an informative text and a wealth of photographs, well-known writer and broadcaster, Ron Freethy, charts the rise of the cotton industry in his home county: the mills, the men, the machines and the impact that cotton had on the lives of the people of Lancashire.