Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site

Lawn bridge is a simple hump-backed bridge constructed of local rough coursed gritstone which connects Arkwright’s “Lawns” (Arkwright owned land to the east and west) to Cromford Meadows. It is one of the original 6 bridges built over the Dewent Valley stretch of Cromford canal between 1792/4, designed by the canal engineers Jessop and Outram. The bridge gave direct access to the fields either side of the canal with the canal footpath passing under on the east bank.

In December 2001, the Derwent Valley Mills in Derbyshire was inscribed on the World Heritage List. This international designation confirms the outstanding importance of the area as the birthplace of the factory system where in the 18th Century water power was successfully harnessed for textile production.

Find out more information about the history of Cromford Canal here

You can also find out what else there is to see and do along the Cromford Canal here

 

The Counting House was built in 1794 as part of the original canal construction. The building is a two storey irregular polygon structure of course dressed sandstone with a welsh slate roof. The building stands at the entrance to the wharf and would have been where the recording and control of goods into and out of the wharf would have taken place. The rougher stonework of the lower level and tooled finish and finer coursing of the upper suggests that this was initially a more basic single storey building, perhaps enlarged when the second arm of the canal and adjacent second warehouse were built. The building’s irregular shape is the result of being built on the small area of land between the gates to the wharf from Mill Lane and the culvert which brought the water to the canal from Cromford Mill yard.

[Read more…] about Cromford Wharf – Counting House

The Gothic Warehouse was built by the canal company for Wheatcrofts, the principle canal carrier in 1874. The warehouse is built of coarse and dressed sandstone with two storeys and a semi basement. The roof is constructed from welsh slates with a canopy structure spanning over the canal and loading dock.  The canopy was added in 1814. The north west gable facing Willersley Castle (the intended home for Sir Richard Arkwright) has a castellated parapet which is where it got its name, the Gothic Warehouse. The warehouse is aligned parallel to the canal with taking in doors on all sides but the North West side.  It would have been used to store goods bought or being transported along the canal. The sign over the North West doorway says N Wheatcroft & Sons Ltd, see if you can find out what merchants they were from the sign.

[Read more…] about Cromford Wharf – The Gothic Warehouse and Loading Dock / Canopy