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 of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, focusing on the water mills of Lumsdale Valley, Ashford, Cromford and Slinter Wood. It is named after

Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as ...

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. Cromford is first mentioned in the 11t ...

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 World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. 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 Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

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 Cromford Canal ran from Cromford to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire, England with a branch to Pinxton. Built by William Jessop with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, its alignment included four tunnels and 14 canal lock, locks. From Crom ...

. 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 A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

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 Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', fact ...

, 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 The Nottingham Industrial Museum is a volunteer-run museum situated in part of the 17th-century stables block of Wollaton Hall, located in a suburb of the city of Nottingham. The museum won the ''Nottinghamshire Heritage Site of the Year Award ...

in the grounds of Wollaton Park.

References

External links

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