The first mills in Great Britain were built near rivers because water power was the most reliable and efficient source of energy available at the time. Water mills use the power of flowing water to turn a wheel, which in turn drives the machinery of the mill. This allowed mills to be built in areas that did not have access to other sources of energy, such as wind or steam power.
Transportation
Rivers were also important for transportation, making it easy to transport the raw materials needed for milling and the finished products to market. This was especially important in the early days of industrialization, when transportation infrastructure was limited.
Location
Many rivers in Great Britain flow through areas with abundant natural resources, such as timber and wool, which were essential for the early textile industry. This made it convenient to locate mills near the sources of these materials.
In addition to these reasons, the presence of rivers also provided a source of water for the workers in the mills and for the animals that were often used to transport goods.
