The manufacture of cloth, yarn, twine, rope, nets and a wide range of other goods is one of the longest-established forms of industry in the South West. Evidence of the traditional textile industries can be seen throughout the regions towns, cities, villages, countryside and coastal areas, including such diverse sites as medieval fulling mills, vernacular clothiers houses, water-power systems, drying grounds, domestic workshops, workers housing and some of the largest integrated factory complexes in the country. The South West retains an exceptionally-wide chronological range of textile sites, with better survival of early industry than in areas dominated by later factory building. This book compares all of the main textile industries and assesses the historical significance of their buildings. The emphasis is firmly on context rather than detail, with an account of the early origins of the industries leading into descriptions of some of the best-preserved surviving sites. A list of sites which are open to the public is included.