Surrey
Surrey's most significant source of prosperity in the later Middle Ages was the production of woollen cloth, which emerged during that period as England's main export industry. The county was an early centre of English textile manufacturing, benefiting from the presence of deposits of fuller's earth, the rare mineral composite important in the process of finishing cloth, around Reigate and Nutfield. The industry in Surrey was focused on Guildford, which gave its name to a variety of cloth, "gilforte", which was exported widely across Europe and the Middle East and imitated by manufacturers elsewhere in Europe. However, as the English cloth industry expanded, Surrey was outstripped by other growing regions of production.
Though Surrey was not the scene of serious fighting in the various rebellions and civil wars of the period, armies from Kent heading for London via Southwark passed through what were then the extreme north-eastern fringes of Surrey during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and Cade's Rebellion in 1450, and at various stages of the Wars of the Roses in 1460, 1469 and 1471. The upheaval of 1381 also involved widespread local unrest in Surrey, as was the case all across south-eastern England, and some recruits from Surrey joined the Kentish rebel army.
Listed buildings in St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a district in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The unparished area contains 67 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest grade, four are listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The main town in the district is St Helens, the others being Newton-le-Willows and Earlestown. Until the Industrial Revolution, the area was largely rural. Coal mining began in the 16th century, but modern industrial development bewgan with the construction of the Sankey Canal in the late 18th century, linking St Helens with the River Mersey. The early 19th century saw new industries, including copper smelting, production of alkali, and the manufacture of glass. Of these, the major industry was glass making, the main business being that of Pilkingtons. The first major railway line in the world, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was built through the district, opening in 1830.