The 18th century is often seen as the beginning of industrialisation in Britain, but there had already been significant changes in the methods and scale of production in many industries in the preceding centuries. While some 18th-century developments were indeed revolutionary, others built on previous innovations – which themselves had both technical and economic drivers. In the latter part of the first millennium most craftsmen worked in small groups or on their own, and the things they made were mostly ‘one-offs’. There were some changes to the scale of production over the following centuries but major technical changes only become important at the very end of the medieval period. This talk will explore and illustrate some of changes that took place across a range of industries – mainly metals, glass and ceramics – and will discuss the benefits they brought. This is a hybrid meeting which can be attended in person or by using Zoom.