The Young Georgians visit
John Smedley's Lea Bridge Mill and
Sir Richard Arkwright's Cromford
and
New Georgian Opera in concert
in aid of
The Bonsall Field Barn Project
How I decided to combine a Young Georgian visit with a substantial concert at the same time as Bonsall Open Gardens (when hundreds of people descend on our perfectly blooming Peak village) is beyond me and it was, at first, rather foolish, but worked out well in the end!
The group came from all over the country and consisted of four Americans, two Australians, a Dutchman and various Brits. We were there to learn about and explore two of the great names in early Industrial Britain - Smedley and the legendary Arkwright.
John Smedley is, with Royal Warrant of 2013, a thoroughly modern company nestled in the Derwent Valley. What became wonderfully clear when we were inside is that the original 1784 Mill is still at the very heart of the bustling enterprise, all five stories of it! Archivist Jane Middleton-Smith gave us a fascinating tour, which started in the original Georgian building and, from there,explored the the entire complex - from display rooms for couture clients to a great hole in the floor deep in the bowels of the building which was home to the old mill wheel.
Lea Mills' founders were Peter Nightingale (ancestor of Florence Nightingale), who was once the accountant of Richard Arkwright, and John Smedley. The brook which ran alongside the new complex cleaned the yarn and powered the machinery. The mill specialised in the production of muslin and spinning cotton, which was then sent out to local 'Frame Knitters'. By the end of the Eighteenth Century the company had branched in to knitting and hosiery - 'Long Johns' are said to be named after Mr Smedley!
John Smedley is the world's longest running factory manufacturer. I felt a whiff of nostalgia as I thought back to my own family's Georgian business, Lotus Shoes, which started two miles away in Heage in 1759 and is the oldest British footwear brand. Sadly, after six generations of Bostock family ownership it was sold in 1970. It is rather amazing to think of all the industries going on in a relatively small upland area. John Smedley's Georgian enterprise is certainly alive and kicking and better clothed than ever!
An original frame knitter's machine
Today's equivalents
Roll-ing along in style to Biddys'
Full of sandwiches, cakes and tea and coffee we departed Biddys' and, a short walk later, found ourselves in the enormous Cromford Mill. Arkwright was the big man at the start of the Industrial Revolution and this is big grand architecture.
The yard at Cromford Mill
We started the tour with a talk in one of the old buildings and were shown a working model of a handloom. Founded by Richard Arkwright in 1771, Cromford Mill went on to inspire other such enterprises in Lancashire, Germany and The United States. What started out as the centre of two hundred worker's lives grew massively and the village of Cromford was built, a model of Georgian planning. Arkwright lived firstly nearby at Rock House and then had Willersley Castle built. This mountain fortress was never his home as it burnt soon before it was completed. The local gentry, which Arkwright by virtue of his enormous wealth was a reluctant member, thought it very odd that a country house should be built facing a cliff. Ever the shrewd businessman, Arkwright was glad of the cliff because it hid his industrial enterprises, and kept them close enough to follow with an eagle eye.
A Georgian handloom weaver
Just one of the great spaces the Arkwright Trust are taking on - this is inside the original Mill building
The Mill complex is vast and the main 'piazza' is one of the most magnificent Georgian spaces of its type. Arkwright's genius is all around; it was he who made sure that employees were looked after well, housed in attractive and well-built homes and schooled to a high standard. In many ways he was an enlightened man, which helped him to become the wealthiest 'commoner' in Britain.
Cromford is not to be missed!
The Mill complex is vast and the main 'piazza' is one of the most magnificent Georgian spaces of its type. Arkwright's genius is all around; it was he who made sure that employees were looked after well, housed in attractive and well-built homes and schooled to a high standard. In many ways he was an enlightened man, which helped him to become the wealthiest 'commoner' in Britain.
Cromford is not to be missed!
Young Georgians at Cromford Mill
New Georgian Opera, aided by pianist Neil Clarke, put on a concert to raise the final sum needed for the rebuilding a Field Barn on Bonsall Moor - who knows, perhaps that little barn had belonged to one of Arkwright's team? The interlinking histories of nearly all the villages and towns along the Derwent Valley and the Matlock Gorge make the great figures of the Georgian past deeply tangible.
New Georgian Opera in aid of The Bonsall Field Barn Project
For information on The Georgian Group and how to join please go to:-
www.georgiangroup.org.uk
John Smedley:-
http://www.johnsmedley.com
Cromford Mill:-
http://cromfordmills.org.uk
New Georgian Opera:-
www.newgeorgianopera.co.uk
Biddys':-
https://www.facebook.com/BiddysTeaRooms
The images on this blog are copyright of Oliver Gerrish. Please ask permission before using them, thank you
No comments:
Post a Comment