The Arkwright Society is a registered charity engaged in the conservation of industrial monuments in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, focusing on the

water mills A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

of Lumsdale Valley, Ashford, Cromford and Slinter Wood. It is named after Richard Arkwright who founded the world's first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in

Cromford Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is north of Derby, south of Matlock and south of Matlock Bath. It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Do ...

in 1771. The society was founded after a festival in 1971 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of this feat. The society bought the site of Sir Richard Arkwright's

Cromford Mill Cromford Mill is the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill, developed by Richard Arkwright in 1771 in Cromford, Derbyshire, England. The mill structure is classified as a Grade I listed building. It is now the centrepiece of the D ...

in 1979 and have since restored its Grade 1 listed buildings. As of October 2007, the work had cost four million pounds and 35 people were employed by the society at the site. Thieves stole a historic clock from the site in 2003. Derwent Valley Mills, including Cromford Mills, is one of the UNESCO

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The mill complex was also declared by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

as "one of the country’s 100 irreplaceable sites". The Society also manages the Canal Warehouse at Cromford Wharf, having leased it since 1995, where 2 rooms are used as classrooms. The Society offers tours of the Wharf and the Cromford Canal. The Society opened the Cromford Venture Centre in 1996 to provide accommodation for young people studying the industrial history of the region. It also owns Slinter Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, Slinter Cottage and Dunsley Meadows Local Nature Reserve. In 2018, the society was planning to restore Building 17 "to transform it into a northern anchor site for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site and ensure the visitor centre was sustainable". In 2019, the society employed 100 persons; the restoration expenditure by that time was £48 million. In 2018, the "Cromford Mills Creative Cluster and World Heritage Site Gateway Project" was listed as a finalist for the "Best Major Regeneration of a Historic Building or Place" in the Historic England Angel Awards. Derwent Valley Mills, including Cromford Mills, is one of the UNESCO

. The mill complex was also declared by

as "one of the country’s 100 irreplaceable sites". The complex is open daily to visitors. There is also a Nottingham Arkwright Society Nottingham Arkwright Society
official website based in the Nottingham Industrial Museum in the grounds of

Wollaton Park Wollaton Park is a 500 acre park in Nottingham, England, which includes a deer park. It is centred on Wollaton Hall, a classic Elizabethan prodigy house which contains the Nottingham Natural History Museum, with the Nottingham Industrial Museum ...

References

External links

Arkwright Society
- Official Website * {{EW charity, 515526 Charities based in Derbyshire 1971 establishments in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1971