This film is part of Free

Cressbrook: A Derbyshire Mill

With a leaking roof and flaking brickwork Cressbrook's 18th century textile mill is crumbling into the Derbyshire countryside.

Documentary 1972 16 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for Media Archive for Central England

Overview

Will the clock installed for Queen Victoria's accession ever chime again? The textile mill once owned by Richard Arkwright at Cressbrook, a pioneer from the early days of the Industrial Revolution, is facing decay and probable demolition. A proud survivor in a world that has moved on. This student film captures the decay and air of melancholy as ghosts of the past emerge from the remnants of Derbyshire's past industrial glories.

Cressbrook mill was last used for cotton doubling in the mid sixties and, despite receiving Grade II listing status in 1967, gradually slipped into dereliction. The building was eventually restored and converted into flats in 2000.