Ever wondered where the Industrial Revolution started? Well, I’ll tell you, a mere seven miles from The Old Station House B&B. In the unassuming Derbyshire village of Cromford where, in 1771, Richard Arkwright decided to build the world’s first factory – or more accurately the world’s first water powered cotton spinning mill, where the production line came into being. Today Cromford Mill and the Canal which ends just across the road are part of the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and a fabulous place to visit.
Learn about the history of the site and its famous founder in the Visitor Centre and then join a tour of the Mil to see the historic cotton spinning machines that changed the world. All the tours include an audience with Richard Arkwright himself – in holographic form – who delights in telling his own story.
Cromford Mill also hosts a lot of living history displays and events throughout the year, including Re-enactments from the Georgians to the Vikings and everything in between. There are also crafting displays, a beer festival, open air theatre and to name just a few. There is also a great range of shops selling everything from hand spun wool to collectible treasures – and Arkwright’s Repair Shop where skilled craftspeople restore personal treasures to their former glory. For more information visit the mill’s website here.
By contrast Cromford Canal provides serenity and calm with a lovely towpath walk along the restored waterway which is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest and home to water voles, grass snakes, little grebes, moorhen and coots. The towpath walk runs for 5 miles from Cromford Wharf to Ambergate and is suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. On the way you can visit the Leawood Pumphouse and historic Cromford and High Peak Railway workshop, reputedly the oldest in the world.
Alternatively you can take a trip on the delightful Birdswood narrowboat which operates public cruises on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays during the season, weather permitting. This two hour cruise to the Pumphouse and back raises funds for The Friends of Cromford Canal’s strategic aim of conservation & restoration of the Cromford canal. To book visit their website and book tickets please click here
