The Derwent Valley was the place where a mechanically powered factory system was developed for the textile industry by Richard Arkwright and others in the eighteenth century. The Valley has been called ‘the cradle of the factory system’. The factory system that was developed here changed a whole way of life.

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WORLD HERITAGE SITES

WORLD HERITAGE EDUCATION

AN OVERVIEW

SITE INFORMATION

ACCOMMODATION

USEFUL ADDRESSES

LINKS TO THE CURRICULUM

PREPARING FOR A SITE VISIT

APPENDICES

INTRODUCTION

In 2001 the critical role that the Derwent Valley played in the Industrial Revolution was recognised by UNESCO, when it was added to the World Heritage List. The World Heritage Site consists of a 24km length of the lower Derwent Valley in Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England stretching from Matlock Bath in the north to Derby city centre in the south. It includes within its boundaries a series of historic mill complexes, river weirs, associated settlements and transport networks.

This publication has been produced to enable teachers and lecturers to take school groups, college students, or other study groups, on fieldwork visits to explore the various parts of the valley that make up the World Heritage Site.

The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site is a cultural landscape where the development of the early stages of the Industrial Revolution can be traced. Because subsequent development of the cotton textile industry took place in Lancashire, the landscape has remained for the most part unaltered and preserved, with the cultural landscape of mills, housing, schools and churches surviving very much as they were two hundred years ago. Studies that focus on the World Heritage Site and its industrial importance could include: famous people; the lives of men, women and children in the past; the Industrial Revolution; the effect of industrial development on the landscape; the development of transport links along the valley, including canals railways and roads. A study of the valley could also stimulate a creative response through art, poetry and music. Those interested in conservation could investigate how it is planned to manage the conservation of the built industrial landscape and the role of World Heritage Education.

The Directory includes information about the concept of World Heritage and World Heritage Education. It also provides an explanation as to why the Derwent Valley Mills were included on the World Heritage List. It is hoped that the Directory will make the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site more accessible to school and college groups and other study groups, by giving an overview of this complex site. The Directory also includes detailed information about each mill, outlining what is available to groups, as well as practical details such as opening times and where to park. The Directory aims to encourage groups, to consider making a residential visit to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, since there is such a wealth of mills, industrial settlements, transport links, as well as the Derby City Museum and Art Gallery, to visit and explore. To this end a section on residential centres in the valley is included in the Directory.

This publication has been produced by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership as part of its commitment to World Heritage Education and to enhance the cultural enjoyment and understanding of the site and to help realise its full potential as an education and learning resource.

Visit the Derwent Valley Mills website for more information about the history, the sites and the people. www.derwentvalleymills.org

A detailed and fully illustrated description of the World Heritage Site may be found in the publication “The Derwent Valley Mills and Their Communities”, price £14.90 and available at Cromford Mill and North Mill Belper, or by post from the County Library, County Hall, Matlock, DE4 3AG. For an order by post add £2.50.