The birth of the modern factory system in the Derwent Valley

The Derwent Valley Mills, sprawled across a 24 km stretch of the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2001. It was the birthplace of the modern factory system and its water-powered cotton spinning mills, a revolution pioneered by Richard Arkwright.

In the late 17th century, silk making expanded, leading Thomas Cotchett to commission a mill near the centre of Derby. Although this experiment was unsuccessful, it convinced John Lombe - an employee of Cotchett - that there was a market for water-powered produce. Lombe engaged in industrial espionage to gain plans of Italian machines and patented a design in 1719, building a five-storey mill to produce silk.

Arkwright later applied water-power to the process of producing cotton in the 1770s. His patent of a water frame allowed cotton to be spun continuously, which meant it could be produced by unskilled workers. This innovation allowed the factory system to be adopted throughout the valley and eventually spread to other regions.

Cromford Mill was the site of Arkwright's first mill. The rapid adoption of this new technology throughout the valley led to the establishment of new settlements like Cromford village to house the mill workers. Transport infrastructure was built to open new markets for the mills' produce, with mills and workers' settlements springing up at Belper, Darley Abbey, and Milford.

To ensure a labour force, it was necessary to construct housing for the mill workers. This marked the beginning of a pattern that was replicated across the valley and even beyond its borders.

The cotton industry in the Derwent Valley faced a decline in the early 19th century, but many of the buildings within the World Heritage Site are still in use today. Some have been converted into museums and are open to the public.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons