 By 1885, the once plentiful Monklands ironstone deposits had been largely exhausted. It became increasing expensive to produce iron in Coatbridge as raw materials had to be imported from as far afield as Spain. The growth of the steel industry (in nearby Motherwell) had also led to a start of a decline in demand for the pig iron Coatbridge produced. Living conditions remained grim. In the 1920s Lloyd George's' Coal and Power ' report described the living conditions in the Rosehall area of Coatbridge:
