TODAY we step back into the world of work in a bygone era.

East Lancashire was once a bastion of manufacturing industries, created by the abundance of coal under its feet.

Foundries, factories, cotton mills and engineering works were all fed by the mines and distribution was made easier by firstly the canal and then the growth of the railways.

In this set of photographs from the Telegraph archives, we take a walk through time to highlight the variety of industry and the skill of workers, which brought about the growth of populations throughout the region.