Belper
- Maximus Nostramabus
- Oct 28, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 13
Dawn of textile factory system - Derwent Valley Mills 1030
What and Why
The Derwent Valley Mills in the United Kingdom represents the birthplace of the modern mass-production factory system. Stretching around 20 km along the River Derwent area, this particular WHS preserves a number of 18th and 19th century cotton mills and transport infrastructure, all originating and benefitting from the invention of the water frame by Richard Arkwright in the 1770s. This saw the first successful use of this new found hydropower for large-scale industrial production, in the case of Derwent Valley, cotton-spinning. This immediately made possible continuous 24/7 cotton production within a factory and massively increases the output. Moreover it makes cotton production a less skilled production and enhances production of textile nationally. The first of this system was put in place in Derwent Valley Mills where the river flows.
Before the Derwent Valley, the concept of industry was a domestic or cottage affair. Spinners and weavers worked in their own homes individually. The transition to the factory system required at least three aspects of revolution: a reliable power source, a novel mass-type machine, and a way to organise human labour collectively. The Valley made this all possible at once through Arkwright's intervention.
While Cromford is often cited as the starting point of Arkwright’s revolution, the town Belper stands as the crown jewel of the valley, a town that was essentially built by the Jedediah Strutt, Arkwright's former partner, and his family to become the world's first true industrial community. As mentioned, these mills are considered the birthplace of the modern factory system and became so successful they became synonymous to the First Industrial Revolution, as blogged in Telford, and further inspired similar communities like New Lanark in Lanark and Saltaire in Bradford, all of these are enlisted as UNESCO WHS for their everlasting contribution to industrialisation.
Further to just economic productivities, it is important to note that Belper was not only focussed on industrial production but also a pioneering example of planned industrial community development: the industrialists were very concerned for their employees and families and acted out of a sense of paternalism, or later Owenism as blogged in Lanark.
The system was quickly adopted around the entire valley, many a direct intellectual property infringement to Arkwright and Strutt, and there experienced a sudden surge of production and also workforce. New settlements were established by mill owners around the mills, with their own amenities such as schools, chapels, and markets. Most of the housing still exists and is still in use. These mills along the river valley survived the wars and had continued its production until the 1950s when it was replaced by electrification and today the site has become now a museum, a co-working business centre and an education centre.
Toponymy
Belper's name is thought to arrive from a corruption of the French word 'Beaurepair' meaning 'beautiful retreat', when the area was used as a hunting ground for the then nobilities during the 13th century. Derwent is derived from Brittonic river name '*deruentiū', meaning 'belonging to the forest of oak trees'.
See
Belper North Mill
The most iconic building structure in Belper is the North Mill, as picture above. After the original mill was burnt down in 1803, William Strutt, Jedediah’s son rebuilt it using a fireproof design. The building itself is an engineering marvel and innovation as it was one of the first buildings in the world to use an internal iron frame and brick arches. By replacing wooden beams with cast-iron columns and brick arches, Strutt prevented the catastrophic fires that plagued these cotton mills, as the materials are extremely prone to fire hazard. Engineering-wise, the North Mill also serves as a later testament to the transition from hydropower to steam power, housing massive wheels and later, sophisticated steam engines. The picture above shows some of the artefacts inside the North Mill museum.
The most important element of Derwent, and in particular Belper was the accessibility and power of water. The Derwent River provided the consistent, powerful flow needed to drive massive waterwheels. Unlike the erratic streams of other regions, the Derwent was harnessed through a sophisticated system of weirs, dams, and guides.
Arkwright’s invention of the water frame allowed for the mechanised spinning of cotton, which was first installed in Cromford. However, it was the Strutt family, who refined these ideas and created the water wheel and mill, as picture above, in Belper, which literally they transformed out of scratch from a small hamlet. This created a site that surpassed Cromford in scale and technical sophistication. In fact Belper’s mills became amongst the largest and most technologically advanced of their time, contributing significantly to the country's expanding textile industry. Furthermore these innovations influenced factory design globally, contributing to the standardisation of engineering and architecture.
The Strutt family understood that to keep a skilled workforce, they needed to provide more than just a wage. They built some of the highest-quality worker housing of the era. The built workers' residence in cluster homes, like the famous Long Row, picture above, which wecare well-equipped, comfortable and came with gardens. These homes had thick walls, multiple rooms, and small plots of land so workers could grow their own food. This was a radical departure from the squalid slums previously associated with the industry. The family’s Unitarian faith played a major part of the decision and drove a belief in social progress and rational thought, which is reflected in the clean, geometric layout of the town.
The other important site is the Cromford Mills, which is literally the birthplace of all mills. This is near the upstream of the site.
Belper River Gardens
Created in the early 20th century, the Belper River Gardens were designed to provide the mill workers with a place of recreation. The pleasant gardens featured a bandstand and boating on the Derwent, emphasising the idea that workers’ leisure time was as important to the community's health as their working time. The gardens remain a rare example of an Edwardian riverside park, still reflecting the beauty of the Derwent that once powered the massive North Mill. There is a well-managed and designed walking and cycling trail connecting all the mills of the Derwent Valley.
Stay
I came to this site through my regular academic diplomatic work and I was very fortunate that I was invited to stay in the Rolls-Royce guest house in Derby, which is converted from a former noble manor house. Incredible stay. Just look at the living area.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
We drove as we were on a work-trip but as in other parts of the country, the place is connected with a railway and the nearest station is either Derby or Matlock. A good half-day visit would suffice. There are local buses connecting the numerous sites.
Having said all of the background, other than the history, the site and even its museum are honestly not very interesting and touristy, even to an eye of an engineering academic like me. It does take a good day for a visit. There are actually a few of these mills for visit, and the largest one is the Derby Silk Mill.
UNESCO Inscription
The Derwent Valley in central England contains a series of 18th- and 19th- century cotton mills and an industrial landscape of high historical and technological interest. The modern factory owes its origins to the mills at Cromford, where Richard Arkwright's inventions were first put into industrial-scale production. The workers' housing associated with this and the other mills remains intact and illustrate the socio-economic development of the area.
References
Comments
Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-in-depth travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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