The Industrial Revolution transformed the steep Pennine valleys of the West Riding of Yorkshire into one of 19th-century Britain’s most productive textile powerhouses. Towns such as Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton and Ossett expanded rapidly as woollen manufacturing shifted from scattered rural workshops into centralised, steam-powered mills. The natural landscape made this prosperity possible. Abundant coal reserves powered heavy machinery, while exceptionally soft water filtered through Pennine Millstone Grit provided the ideal medium for scouring, washing, and finishing woollen cloth. Yet this success created a catastrophic environmental disaster. Industrial growth advanced far faster than civic infrastructure, creating an urban landscape where drinking water, toxic dyes, untreated human sewage, and overcrowded…