This topic sounds more like it should be in the GCSE history syllabus than geography but the examiners feel that it is necessary to look at how British industry has been influenced by the landscape and natural resources. It is also part of the story of urbanisation and can help you to understand how and why urban areas have developed.
Many social, environmental and economic factors affect the location of industry, some have a greater impact than others. At the start of the Industrial Revolution, British industry was sited according mainly to physical factors rather than socio-economic factors. The new factories of the Industrial revolution required power. The start of the factory system was when the silk and cotton mills were established in the Derwent valley of Derbyshire.