Profile on...

It remained relatively poor until worsted woollen textiles and engineering arrived to provide a long-lasting manufacturing base.

Equally important were new transport links, especially the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

Shipley became the junction for the Bradford canal and a crossroads for three main roads across the West Riding.

The coming of the railway in the 1830s gave the town further impetus.

In the course of 80 years during the 19th century the population of Shipley grew 15-fold. *