ABOUT THE SITE

Cromford Mill

Cromford Mill is the world’s first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill, built by Richard Arkwright in 1771 and extended until 1790. It is a site of historic significance because at Cromford, Arkwright began a new system of cotton manufacture which developed the model for the factory system.

The Site

The mill was built on a narrow site on the bank of Bonsall Brook which runs between limestone cliffs. The brook is a tributary of the River Derwent.

Richard Arkwright and his partners, Jedediah Strutt, Samuel Need and John Smalley leased the site and the water rights to use the water from Bonsall Brook and the Cromford Sough ( a lead mine drain) in August 1771 from William and Mary Milnes. The rent was £14.00 a year.

Why Arkwright came to Cromford?

Cromford was a scattered settlement which depended on lead mining and farming. It was relatively close to the cities of Nottingham and Derby, both centres for the stocking knitting trade. It was accessible by packhorse routes from Lancashire and the ports through which cotton came. Arkwright may have chosen to build his mill at Cromford because it offered a site with access to water rights. In addition, the water rights at Cromford may have been particularly attractive. The water from Cromford Sough was reliable and it did not vary in volume from season to season. It did not freeze in winter. Bonsall Brook was quite a small water course but this may in itself have been attractive. The technology to harness the power of a big river, such as the Derwent, was in its infancy and very expensive but until Arkwright had developed the full range of his machinery he had no need of a large source of power; nor had he the capital to make use of such a site.

The water from the Sough and Bonsall Brook was collected and stored in the pond behind the Greyhound Hotel. Channels brought the water to turn the water wheels. It is possible to visit the Cromford Sough and the Greyhound Pond in the village and trace the watercourses through the mill complex.

The Mill Buildings

The Cromford Mill complex is made up of a number of linked mills, warehouses and workshops. They were built between 1771 and 1791. The mill buildings which form the boundary of the site along the road have no windows on the ground floor. This is thought to provide evidence that Richard Arkwright wanted to keep his machines and the system for working them hidden from prying people, people that might want to steal his ideas and set up on their own. The site is also bounded by high walls and gates. However, the mill buildings, workshops and warehouses built along the road side were built between 1785 -1791, fourteen years after the first mill, which would have left this mill exposed to passers-by. The series of mill buildings show the development of Richard Arkwright’s ideas about the design of the buildings. Many of the mill buildings survive and are now let to a variety of businesses. This means they are not accessible to school groups. Other buildings are being restored by the Arkwright Society and are inaccessible at the moment. The annex to the lower second mill is open to school groups and houses an exhibition about Richard Arkwright and his achievements. A tour of the mill site with a guide is available to school groups.

The Village

The inhabitants of Cromford Village were able to supply some of Arkwright’s labour from among the wives and children of the lead miners, but when the second mill was built in 1776 most of the workers were recruited from other areas. Richard Arkwright built houses in Cromford for his workers. The first houses were built to create North Street in 1776. More houses were built on Cromford Hill between 1776-1789. Cromford was owned by Peter Nightingale who funded many of Richard Arkwright’s developments during this period. Richard Arkwright bought the estate in 1789, having held the lease on the land for several years. Cromford was then further developed by Arkwright to include a Market Place. The Greyhound Hotel had been built in 1778, and the Market Shops in 1790. Houses for mill workers with privies, allotments and pigcotes were also built. Richard Arkwright Junior built a school and school house in 1832.
Although Richard Arkwright employed children from the age of seven he did not use children from parish poor houses. He preferred to employ large families. Spinning was done mainly by women and children, men being employed as craftsmen and supervisors. The mills worked on a shift system, two twelve hour shifts. It was a six day working week with Sunday off. Wages were higher than for agricultural work, and by the standards of the time Richard Arkwright was considered a fair employer. In 1776/7 Richard Arkwright employed about 200 people; by 1789 he employed up to 1200 in his three mills, the two in Cromford and Masson Mills in Matlock Bath.

It is still possible to see all these buildings in Cromford Village and a guided tour of the various features of the village connected to Richard Arkwright is one of the options on offer by the Arkwright Society.

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Cromford Mill and Cromford Village

How to make a Group Booking

Contact the Visitor Services Department for information or to book a tour on 01629823256 or 01629 824297. Visitor Services staff are available from 9.00am to 5.00pm seven days a week to answer enquiries or take bookings. All groups are catered for, from primary and secondary school groups to university students groups and initial teacher training groups. All groups whether taking a tour or working to a self-guided programme should book with the Visitor Services Staff.

Opening Times

Open daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day) 9am-5pm

How to get there

By coach – Cromford Mill is easy to find, being located just off the A6 a mile south of Matlock Bath. At the traffic lights on Cromford Crossroads, turn down Mill Lane (left if approaching from Matlock Bath, or right if coming from Ambergate). The Mill site is a few hundred yards from the junction.

Parking – Due to the presence of weak culverts under the main car park coaches are not permitted to park in the car park. The Arkwright Society asks that school and other groups should be set down beside the side entrance to the mill. This does not involve crossing the road.

Coaches should park in the lay-by opposite the Mill buildings. Groups will need to cross the road when returning to their coach. There is room for four coaches to park on the lay-by. The lay-by is only available for parking of coaches when the group is booked in to visit the Mill Site.

By train – The Derby to Matlock train stops at Cromford.Cromford Station is a five minute walk from Cromford Mill. There is a pavement most of the way, although it will be necessary to cross the road. There is a narrow humped backed road bridge with a narrow pavement. Mill Lane is a country road but it is well used by traffic. Take care when walking this route.

What is available for school groups?

The Arkwright Society offers a wide range of tours at Cromford Mill all of which can be tailored to the particular requirements of the visiting group.

The Mill Tour

The basic mill tour takes approximately an hour and may include an introductory talk, a guided tour of the mill site and associated mill buildings and open access to the exhibition. It is possible that the tour can be extended to include any of the following by making a special request and booking well in advance:

The site of the old village of Cromford
A visit to Willersley Castle – once the home of Richard Arkwright and family
The Cromford Canal Wharf
St Mary’s Church – originally designed as the Arkwright family chapel

The Village Tour

The basic village tour takes approximately one and a half hours and includes an introductory talk, open access to the exhibition and visits to the following areas of the village:

The Weavers’ houses in North Street
The Market Place and Greyhound Hotel
The Greyhound Pond The village lock-up

The Full Tour

This combines both the Mill and Village Tours into one package and takes two and a half hours. As with the separate Mill and Village Tours, it can include any of the optional extras by prior arrangement.

Tour Prices

School Parties:
Any tour - £1.50 per pupil. Accompanying adults free.

Guide fee

Mill Tour - £10.00
Village Tour - £15.00
Full Tour, which includes the Mill
and Village Tour - £20.00

N.B.Guide fee is per guide required – max 25 pupils per guide.

Self-guided tour

The charge is £1.00 per pupil.

Site Highlights - Exploration and Discovery

take a tour of the site
see the first successful water powered cotton spinning mill
discover the geography of the mill and the water source and courses
visit the village built by Sir Richard Arkwright and Richard Arkwright Junior
explore the canal and wharf sheds
visit the exhibition to find out about Sir Richard Arkwright’s inventions
learn to drop spin
experience conservation in progress
see the wheel pit and experience the power of water

Provisions for School groups
Baggage Store There is secure place to leave lunch bags if required. Please let the Visitor Services Staff know if the group would like to store bags while they go on tour.
Lunch Facilities There are picnic tables in the mill yard outside the café. Children are not to use the café as it is quite small and in constant use by other visitors. Ice-creams, drinks and snacks are available in the shop. There are also picnic tables on the Canal Wharf site. A room may be reserved for lunch if the weather is wet or cold. Please enquire from the Visitor Services Staff if groups want to make use of this facility.
Toilets There are toilet facilities in the mill yard for males and females and wheelchair users.
Classroom The Arkwright Society manages the Gothic Warehouse on the canal wharf. There are two rooms that can be hired for use as a classroom – the Ground Floor and the Upper Floor. The fee is £30.00 for either room for a half day and £60.00 for a full day. The rooms are equipped with flip charts, OHP and screens. Catering can be arranged for groups wishing to use these rooms. Enquire from the Visitor Services Staff.
Meeting Rooms and Conference Facilities There are meeting rooms and conference facilities available at Cromford Mill
Activity Sheets The Visitor Service Department does have examples of activity sheets which visiting groups can use or adapt. If school or other groups are planning to bring their own activity sheets, it would be helpful if a copy could be sent to the Visitor Services Staff so that they can adapt the tour to compliment the activities.
Shop There is a souvenir shop in the mill yard. The Shop sells a range of souvenirs suitable to the pocket of school children. They also sell a range of items that could be used in a school project such as post cards and information sheets. There is also a bookshop with a comprehensive selection of books about Richard Arkwright, the cotton mills and the industrial revolution. A Family Activity Book called Famous People is also available. This book is intended to help families find out about all the famous people who began the Industrial Revolution in the Derwent Valley, including Richard Arkwright.

Provisions for School groups

Baggage Store

There is secure place to leave lunch bags if required. Please let the Visitor Services Staff know if the group would like to store bags while they go on tour.

Lunch Facilities

There are picnic tables in the mill yard outside the café. Children are not to use the café as it is quite small and in constant use by other visitors. Ice-creams, drinks and snacks are available in the shop. There are also picnic tables on the Canal Wharf site.

A room may be reserved for lunch if the weather is wet or cold. Please enquire from the Visitor Services Staff if groups want to make use of this facility.

Toilets

There are toilet facilities in the mill yard for males and females and wheelchair users.

Classroom

The Arkwright Society manages the Gothic Warehouse on the canal wharf. There are two rooms that can be hired for use as a classroom – the Ground Floor and the Upper Floor. The fee is £30.00 for either room for a half day and £60.00 for a full day. The rooms are equipped with flip charts, OHP and screens. Catering can be arranged for groups wishing to use these rooms. Enquire from the Visitor Services Staff.

Meeting Rooms and Conference Facilities

There are meeting rooms and conference facilities available at Cromford Mill

Activity Sheets

The Visitor Service Department does have examples of activity sheets which visiting groups can use or adapt. If school or other groups are planning to bring their own activity sheets, it would be helpful if a copy could be sent to the Visitor Services Staff so that they can adapt the tour to compliment the activities.

Shop

There is a souvenir shop in the mill yard. The Shop sells a range of souvenirs suitable to the pocket of school children. They also sell a range of items that could be used in a school project such as post cards and information sheets. There is also a bookshop with a comprehensive selection of books about Richard Arkwright, the cotton mills and the industrial revolution. A Family Activity Book called Famous People is also available. This book is intended to help families find out about all the famous people who began the Industrial Revolution in the Derwent Valley, including Richard Arkwright.