EAST Lancashire will always be associated with the cotton industry. It provided the economic heartbeat for the area. Hundreds of mills employing thousands of people brought prosperity and pride.

These fabulous photographs from our archives capture some of the sheer scale of life inside the weaving sheds. The looms and various other machines involved in various processes were hugely impressive, in their own way masterpieces of engineering.

The photographs represent a lasting record of a period in East Lancashire’s history that has all but disappeared.

Sadly some of the photographs have few if any details on them so if you can supply further information about any of them, email bygones@nqnw.co.uk