Peak Experience

 

Professor JD Chambers’ description of the Derwent Valley.

 

Calver Mill spun cotton until the 1920s  Cromford Mill  Inside Darley Mill in 1868  Litton Mill

 

It’s hard to believe, but today’s picturesque and peaceful Derwent Valley was the birthplace of the industrial revolution.  Lombe’s Silk Mill opened in 1721 in Derby – the first step towards modern factory production. However, it was not until Richard Arkwright built the Cromford Cotton Mill on a tributary of the River Derwent in 1771 that industrialists harnessed hydropower on a massive scale.

 

Disputes with lead miners over water rights led to the demise of Cromford Mill.  When Arkwright  established his second mill in 1783, he avoided any such problem by building it on the Derwent itself.  Arkwright’s Masson Mill, at Matlock Bath, still stands, as a well-preserved mill museum which is part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.  The Site spans about 26 km of the River Derwent, from Matlock Bath to Derby and has 17 key attractions to visit.  Along its length, you will see mills and monuments that trace the development of modern factory production.

 

Arkwright’s mills became blueprints.  They were copied throughout the length of the Derwent Valley and beyond.  British working life changed forever and sent ripples right across the world.

 

 

Cromford, Strutt’s North and Masson Mills are part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site (WHS).  They offer tours and give you the opportunity to see authentic machines in action at their museums.  Other major WHS attractions include John Smedley’s Mill and the Silk Mill at Derby.

 

John Smedley’s Mill is the manufacturing headquarters of John Smedley and has been in continuous production for 200 years.  Its factory shop offers luxury cotton and merino knitwear for sale.  The Silk Mill is on the site of Lombe’s Silk Mill, and now houses the Museum of Industry and History.

 

Check the World Heritage Site web site for details of each of the 17 key attractions. 

 

Calver Mill, further north on the Derwent, spun cotton right into the early 1920s and was later used to film Colditz.

 

Cressbrook Mill at Monsal Dale on the River Wye was reputed to treat its child apprentices fairly well – unlike Litton Mill, further up the valley, which was infamous for its cruelty to child workers.  Ellis Needham, the owner of Litton Mill in 1782, brought child orphans from London.  He and his five sons subjected them to slave-like conditions and brutal punishments.

 

John Birley, a child apprentice at Litton Mill c.1812.

 

Click here to read an account of working at Cressbrook Mill as a child.

 

 

Mills brought wealth before and after the cotton dominion.  Cheddleton Flint Mill ground flint for the pottery industry.  Brindley’s Mill at Leek was built as a corn mill originally.  It is still in working order and has a museum focusing on the mill and the life of its maker.

 

Queen Victoria’s raven black silks were a Leek speciality.  A number of mills in the town spun silk

 

Cromford Mill is signposted from Cromford (A6).

 

Park at Monsal Head (B6465) or at Millers Dale (B6049) for the Monsal Trail which will take you through Monsal Dale, Cressbrook Dale and Millers Dale, where you will find Litton Mill.

 

Calver Mill is to the north of the A623 at Calver.

 

Cheddleton Flint Mill has free parking.  Get there from Cheddleton (A520), 5 km south of Leek.

 

Park in Abbey Green Road for Brindley’s Mill in Leek.

 

Check the World Heritage Site web site for more information the 17 key WHS attractions between Matlock Bath and Derby.