Wales in the Industrial Age 1750- 1950- Iron
In 1750 the population of Wales was under 500,000, by 1900 it was over 2 million. Wales was dominated by the iron industry, coal mining and slate mining (in north Wales). The iron industry was the first large scale industry in Wales. It flourished when it was discovered how to use coke instead of charcoal in its production. The main areas of production were the valleys of south Wales, particularly around Merthyr Tidfil which was home to four huge ironworks including Cyfarthfa ironworks which were the largest ironworks in the world by 1800 employing 1500 men.