 The catchment or drainage basin lies between that of the Ford Green Brook to the north and east, and that of the Lyme brook to the south and west, has an area of .During the industrial revolution the Fowlea valley was chosen as the location for the Wedgwood pottery factory, further growth took place with the arrival of the Trent & Mersey canal, with brick, tile and sanitary ware factories being built nearby.Heavy industry in the form of coal mines, and steel works also developed in the valley, culminating in the Shelton Bar steel works and rolling mill in the 1960s.