Down Mill Lane, Cromford, Derbyshire (3)

After spending some time at Cromford Mills we walked down a footpath to St. Mary's Church. Originally this was built to be used as Richard Arkwright's private family chapel and members of the family are buried in the family vault or in the churchyard. Although the church was closed we enjoyed the walk by the river bank and around the church grounds.

                                                               

      

Daughter and I wandered about taking photos. 

 This old ironwork arch had been decorated

with fresh white carnations and greenery

for a recent wedding.

Over the way on Mill Lane is one of the water channels

of Cromford Canal Wharf. 

It was built across part of the grounds of

Richard Arkwright's residence, Rock House.

The restored c 1794 counting house and canal wharf office 

are now an art studio and a cafe.

              

    

The Arkwright Society has renovated the buildings and

many of the original architectural features have been 

 retained such as the old wooden crane

and the canopies that kept the goods dry as 

they were loaded or unloaded.

It's a pleasant place to sit for a while or

take a walk along the towpath.

*******

View from the back garden - lilac, rambling clematic montana, laburnum

Cromford, Derbyshire (2)

                                                                       
                                                         The River Derwent
                                                               

                                                        The Cromford Canal

We really made a day of it when we drove down to Cromford.  There's so much to see there in  the village and the mill complex, but being our first visit on a lovely sunny day we were able to spend much of the time outside by the river and the nearby canal as well as looking around Richard Arkwright's Cromford Mills.

It's easy to understand why Richard Arkwright chose the area to build his mills when you see the water resource in the locality, although later on he did have problems when he lost a principal water supply.  He achieved a patent for his Roller Spinning Machine and when water power was applied it became known as the Water Frame.  It revolutionised the cotton spinning process to produce yarn strong enough to form the warp thread in woven cotton cloth.  Later he improved and patented all the pre-spinning processes giving him control of the entire production.  He became known as the Father of the Factory System.

The Mills, the watercourses, Mill Basin, weirs and culverts

Many mills were built and owned by the Arkwright family, but the one in the background of this photo was the first.

Just behind the trees is Rock House, Richard Arkwright's house. The manufacturing establishment of manager's house, warehouses, counting house and the mill buildings is considered to be the most important preserved textile heritage site in the world.  Hundreds of men, women and children were employed there at the peak of production.   In the early years women and children came from local villages as well as Cromford Village.  Later, as the production expanded, Arkwright employed workers from further afield and he built a hostel called The Barracks to house the boys and unmarried men who lived too far away to travel to and from work. It must have been extremely hard work, but Arkwright's concern was for the general welfare of his workers and records show that conditions were generally good for the standards of the time. The mills continued in operation until the 1840s.

This young lad, probably resting after a tour around the mill site, is sitting close to the area where the workers' hostel once stood.

The foundations of The Barracks building which burnt down in the 1960s

when it was still in use.  It had been leased out after Arkwright's mill

operations ceased in the 1840s. 

For many years there has been an extensive restoration project on the site undertaken by the Arkwright Society, a registered charity concerned with education and the conservation of industrial heritage. There are guided tours and an exhibition on the history of early spinning and weaving and  Sir Richard Arkwright, his family, his inventions and working methods.

There's no charge to explore the mill yard where there are many craft and second-hand goods shops and an art studio.  There was a plant sale on during the day we were there which pleased 'The Gardener'! 

Cromford, Derbyshire (1)

Last Thursday we drove down to Cromford, Derbyshire which is well known for being the place where Richard Arkwright, the inventor of a spinning machine used in the production of cotton goods, began a programme of building mills and developing the village to house his workers.  Arkwright had decided that water was an effective source of power and the area around the River Derwent was ideal for this purpose.

After a quick look around the mill complex we decided to have lunch in the village and return later to have a look at the mill buildings, the church by the river and nearby wharf side canal.

We had lunch in The Greyhound Inn which is a Grade II listed building built in 1789.  Its clock was the first public clock in Cromford.  Important visitors and traders would have stayed there and the Arkwrights (father and son) used it for business.  It was the centre of the entertainments that Richard Arkwright laid on for his workers.  

Behind the Greyhound Inn is the Greyhound Pond which is the lowest of the ponds constructed up the valley for the storage of water.  In the corner near Water Lane is a sluice gate that controls the water between the pond and other water courses in the village.  The cottages on the hill were once inhabited by lead miners and date from the 17th century and 18th century. The mill and buildings

were part of this little settlement on the hillside of Scarthin Rock.  The mill wheel still turns today (by electricity).  It was interesting to see it move around.

  

In the courtyard and water wheel building there's a business selling all types of woven baskets. 

We don't often get a photo taken together, but with a grandson enthusiastic to snap us.....

This peaceful spot is just a corner of an interesting village.  We moved on to spend some more time at the Cromford Mills.