Industrial Archaeology uses the techniques of mainstream archaeological excavation, analysis and interpretation to present an enlightening picture of industrial society. Technology and heritage have, until recently, been the focal points of study in industrialization. Industrial Archaeology sets out a coherent methodology for the discipline which expands on and extends beyond the purely functional analysis of industrial landscapes, structures and artefacts to a broader consideration of their cultural meaning and value. The authors examine, for example, the social context of industrialization, including the effect of new means of production on working patterns, diet and health.

Industrial archaeology is the study of early industrial buildings and machinery, particularly of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. When this book was originally published in 1963, this was becoming a topic of lively interest and controversy among archaeologists, historians, architects and engineers. This book discusses the aims and methods of the science, giving examples of the contribution which different kinds of specialists can make. This shows a fascinating slice of the history of the discipline of archaeology as well as offering insights into industrial archaeology when the term was first being used. As the first text on the subject, this book also lead to the start of the industrial archaeology movement in the USA.