Great britain had experienced a huge advance during the industrial revolution in the late 1700. The context of Great britain before the use of coal was completely different when it comes to production and human labor.
The workers were used to work many hours a day. They produced a lot and made little money. With the advent of coal, machines were more efficient, producing more than manual labor, per capita income had increased. Textile industries had been strengthened, as well as steam trains
Great britain was one of the countries with greater availibility of raw materials, especially coal. The country itself had developed a lot, when they started to use coal. It's common to say, this raw material was essential.