AN OVERVIEW OF THE DERWENT VALLEY MILLS WORLD HERITAGE SITE
A Valley of Learning Opportunities
The factory system was developed in the textile mills of the Derwent Valley. It was a system in which people, generally women and children who were unskilled or semi-skilled, worked on a regular shift system in large buildings and lived in nearby dependent communities.
A large number of the textile mills of the Derwent Valley, including the earliest examples known to have been built in the world, are still standing. Apart from the buildings themselves,important elements of the supporting infrastructure have survived, including the engineering structures which carried the water power systems from the river Derwent and its tributaries, and the transport infrastructure including toll roads, tramways and canals. Furthermore, the factory settlements that were constructed at Cromford, Belper, Milford and Darley Abbey are almost completely preserved including in Cromford and Milford, the factory masters’own residences and, notably in Belper and Cromford, farms and estate buildings.
The overall result is an ensemble of buildings, structures and settlements, all grouped within a distinctive landscape that is dominated by the river that attracted the initial investment in the area. The integrity of the scene remains evocative of the period in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when, in this hitherto obscure Derbyshire valley, the factory system was born.
Here are the most accessible and interesting sites that can be visited by using a well developed Rights of Way network throughout the valley from Derby to Matlock Bath.
1 Masson Mills (Working Textile Museum)
Derby Road,Matlock Bath, Derbyshire DE4 3PY
Telephone: 01629 581001
Website www.massonmills.co.uk
Sir Richard Arkwright’s 1783 showpiece Masson Mills are the finest surviving and best preserved example of an Arkwright cotton spinning mill. A fascinating working textile museum incorporates authentic historic working textile machinery.
Opening times:
The museum is open throughout the year (except Christmas Day and Easter Day
- Mon-Fri 10am-4pm,
- Sat 11am-5pm,
- Sun 11am-4pm.
Admission :
- Adults £2.50
- Child £1.50
- Family £6.50
- Concessions £2.00
- Adult groups (30+) £2.00 per person
- School groups £1.00 per child
Railway Station:
Cromford or Matlock Bath 15 minutes ’walk
More Information:
Educational tours available – see website: www.massonmills.co.uk
2 Cromford Village
Take a tour of the village Sir Richard Arkwright built for his mill workers from 1776. Highlights include the Greyhound Hotel and Pond, the village lock-up, pigsties and the ingenious ‘Bear Pit’. Visit Rock House, Richard Arkwright’s home near to the mill.
More Information:
Tours can be booked at Cromford Mill
3 Willersley Castle
Cromford, Derbyshire DE4 5JH
Telephone: 01629 582270
E-mail willersley@cgholidays.co.uk
Built for Sir Richard Arkwright and his family,Willersley Castle provides unparalleled views along the Derwent Valley. Set in extensive parkland, the house retains many original features, including the striking ‘Well Gallery’ with its glass dome.
Opening times:
Open daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day) 9.30am-6pm
Admission: Free
Railway Station:
Cromford 5 minute walk
More Information:
Willersley Castle is owned and operated as an hotel by Christian Guild Holidays, providing holiday and conference facilities throughout the year.
4 Cromford Mill
Mill Lane, Cromford,
Derbyshire DE4 3RQ
Telephone: 01629 823256
E-mail info@arkwrightsociety.org.uk
Website www.arkwrightsociety.org.uk
The world’s first successful water - powered cotton spinning mills, built by Sir Richard Arkwright between 1771 and 1791. Discover the place where the factory system was developed –where innovation and enterprise changed the world. Enjoy guided tours, an exhibition, refreshments and gift shops. Meetings rooms and conference facilties available.
Also hostel accommodation for parties of young people at the Cromford Venture Centre.
Opening Times:
Open daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day) 9am-5pm.
Admission: Entrance free.
Guided Tours:
- Adults £2.
- Child under 16 £1.50.
- Concessions £1.50 per person
Railway Station:
Cromford 5 minutes’ walk
More Information:
Evening talks and school group tours by arrangement.
5 St Mary ’s Church (Cromford)
Mill Lane, Cromford,
Derbyshire DE4 3RQ
Telephone: 01629 582947
Opened in 1797, Cromford’s Parish Church was built by Sir Richard Arkwright as a private chapel and contains the family vaults. The interior is decorated with striking wall paintings and stained glass by the Victorian artist, A O Hemming.
Opening Times:
- Summer: (May-October)
- Saturday open to visitors 10am-12 noon
- Access at other times by prior arrangement.
Telephone: 01629 582947
Sunday Service 9.30am-10.30am
Admission: FREE
Railway Station:
Cromford 5-minutes’ walk
6 Cromford Canal
Roam along the banks of the canal, built in the 1790s to unlock Derbyshire’s immense mineral wealth and now a rich haven for plants and wildlife. Access points to the canal are at Cromford Wharf, High Peak Junction, Whatstandwell and Ambergate.
7 High Peak Junction Workshops
Cromford Canal, Cromford,
Derbyshire.
Telephone: 01629 822832 or 01629 823204
E-mail middletontop@derbyshire.gov.uk
Website www.derbyshire.gov.uk/countryside
One of the world’s oldest surviving railway workshops, built around 1830 and faithfully restored to how they would have looked in the 1880’s. An audio guide takes visitors back to the days of steam on the Cromford and High Peak Railway.
Opening Times:
- Winter: Weekends only 10.30am-4pm (times may vary)
- Summer: Every day 10.30am-5.30pm
Admission:
Workshops:
- Adults 70p
- Children 40p
- Concessions 40p
Audio Guide (including admission):£1.50 Family £5.00
Railway Station:
Cromford 25 minutes’ walk
9 John Smedley’s Mill
Lea Bridge, Derbyshire DE4 5AG
Telephone:01629 534571
E-mail enquiries@johnsmedley.com
This site has been in continuous textile production for over 200 years. It now forms the manufacturing headquarters of John Smedley, continuing a tradition of production of the world’s finest knitwear. Visit the factory shop which offers a range of luxury Sea Island Cotton and Merino knitwear.Mill tours are not available, unfortunately, so this site is not really suitable for school group visits.
Opening Times:
The factory shop is open daily throughout the year 10am-4pm
Admission: Free
Railway Station:
Cromford 30 minutes’ walk (or catch a bus outside Cromford Mill)
10 Belper River Gardens
Enjoy stunning views of the River Derwent. Built by the Strutt family for the workers to enjoy their free time on the site of the unused osier beds. The first mills on the site were powered from a mill leat that has been adapted to form a water feature in the garden. Throughout the summer a number of band concerts are held, and rowing boats are available for hire.
11 Strutt’s North Mill
Bridgefoot, Belper,
Derbyshire DE56 1YD
Telephone: 01773 880474
E-mail vc@belpernorthmill.org.uk
Website www.belpernorthmill.org.uk
At William Strutt’s pioneering ‘fire-proof ’cotton mill of 1804 you can follow cotton from plant to thread. See one of the finest collections of hosiery and join a tour of the remarkable mill settlement of Belper.
Opening Times :
- Winter: Weekends only 1pm-5pm.
- Summer: Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm.
School groups at any time by arrangement
Admission:
- Adults £2.50
- Children £2.00
- Family £7.00
- Concessions £2.00
Railway Station:
Belper:10 minute walk
More information:
Group bookings by arrangement
12 Belper
Walk the streets of the factory community created by the Strutt family for their mill workers from the 1780s. See the rows of terraced housing,a nail maker’sworkshop and much more. Visit the Unitarian Chapel, built by the Strutt family, and the vaults containing the remains of members of the Strutt family. Tours can be booked at Strutt’s North Mill.
13 Milford
Discover the cottages, churches, pubs, school and the remains of the cotton and bleach works that were built to serve the Strutt industrial community from 1781.
14 Darley Abbey
About a mile and a half to the north of Derby City centre is the remarkable factory village and mills of Darley Abbey, created by the Evans family from the 1780s onwards and including St Matthew’s Church. Pause beside the river Derwent, within sight of one of the most complete early textile mill complexes.
15 Darley Park
Enjoy the open space of unspoilt parkland, once part of the Evans’ family estate, with fine views of Derby. There is an excellent and safe walk through Darley Park to the Silk Mill in Derby
16 The Silk Mill– Derby ’s Museum of Industry and History
Silk Mill Lane, off Full
Street, Derby DE1 3AF
Telephone:01332 255308
E-mail museums@derby.gov.uk
Website www.derby.gov.uk/museums
Located on the site of John Lombe’s Silk Mill of the early 1720s – the World ’s first ‘modern’ factory and the birthplace of the factory system. The museum illustrates the full extent of Derbyshire’s industrial achievement.
Opening Times:
Open throughout the year (call in advance for Christmas Day and New Year opening times)
- Mon 11am-5pm.
- Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
- Sun (inc. Bank Holidays) 1pm-4pm
Admission: Free
Railway Station:
Derby 15 minutes’ walk
17 Derby Museum and Art Gallery
The Strand, Derby DE1 1BS
Telephone: 01332 716659
E-mail museums@derby.gov.uk
www.derby.gov.uk/museums
The impressive Joseph Wright Gallery displays portraits of key figures in the story of the Derwent Valley Mills,including Richard Arkwright, his son Richard Arkwright Junior and Jedediah Strutt, together with landscapes and scenes of industry directly relevant to the story of the Derwent Valley Mills. The Museum and Art Gallery has exciting displays about the fine art, natural history, archaeology, military history, and ceramics of Derby City and Derbyshire.
Opening Times:
Open throughout the year (call in advance for Christmas Day and New Year opening times) Mon 11am-5pm Tues-Sat 10am-5pm Sun (inc Bank holidays) 1pm-4pm
Admission: Free
Railway Station:
Derby 15 minutes’ walk