Derwent Valley Mills
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How it came to be
The factory system was born in the valley of the River Derwent, upstream from Derby in central England. It began with a silk mill in Derby built for the Lombe brothers, using machinery based on an Italian design. In cotton, Richard Arkwright patented his water frame in 1769 and in 1771 leased land at Cromford for a mill.
Arkwright expanded Cromford village to house his workers, pairing mill and housing. The model was copied up and down the valley, with new settlements around the mills that had their own schools, chapels and markets. Jedediah Strutt built mills at Belper and Milford in 1776-1781, and Thomas Evans built one at Darley Abbey in 1782. By 1788 Britain had more than 200 Arkwright-type mills.
In the first quarter of the 19th century the cotton trade moved to Lancashire, closer to raw materials and markets, and the valley's industry declined. The mills and villages survived in new uses, and a 24-kilometre stretch from Matlock Bath in the north to near the centre of Derby was inscribed in 2001.
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