Walter Taylor of Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, supplied wooden rigging blocks

Block (sailing)

In sailing, a block is a single or multiple pulley. One or a number of sheaves are enclosed in an assembly between cheeks or chocks. In use a block is fixed to the end of a line, to a spar or to a surface...

 to the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, greatly improving their quality via technological innovations which were a significant step forward in the Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...

.

From the age of 19, Taylor served as an apprentice to a block maker in Southampton. His father (also named Walter) had previously served at sea and had observed the problems caused by these blocks, which were traditionally handmade.

On acquiring the blockmaking business, Taylor and his father developed machinery to mass produce the rigging blocks, repeatedly and to an exact specification.