In 1971, The Arkwright Society was founded to save Cromford Mills from demolition by volunteers. Its objectives are education and conservation of both the natural and built environment it cares for, with a focus on Cromford Mills, within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The Society has an active education programme, working with primary and secondary schools and universities.
How partnerships have helped the Arkwright Society de-carbonise Cromford Mills
A Case Study
Arkwright Society
Cromford Mills
Cromford Mills, in the Derbyshire Dales, is credited with being the birthplace of the Modern Factory system and is the site of the first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill in the world. This brainchild of Richard Arkwright, is a key part of the outstanding universal value of the world heritage site. Today the site is run as a visitor attraction with a visitor centre, digital Arkwright experience, and heritage tours. Income is generated through its events programme, renting office and retail space, conferencing, two cafes, and a mill shop.
Cromford Mills, in the Derbyshire Dales, is credited with being the birthplace of the Modern Factory system and is the site of the first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill in the world. This brainchild of Richard Arkwright, is a key part of the outstanding universal value of the world heritage site.
The Waterpower Project
Following in the footsteps of Richard Arkwright, the Arkwright Society is promoting innovation through re-harnessing the power of the water. This ambitious project will reinstate a 5m waterwheel at the heart of its site and a 15kW hydro-turbine to generate power for the mill buildings. As part of this project, a water-sourced heat pump will be installed to bring heat to the many mill buildings on the site. When operational, the Waterpower project will reduce the site’s carbon footprint and energy bills by an estimated 25%. The existing hydro-turbine at the Cornmill in Cromford Village will be refurbished and the intention is to sell electricity back to the grid to generate funds for community projects. The Arkwright Society is setting up a separate charity to hold the funds generated by the mill and will distribute them as grants to help support local community heritage projects. It is hoped this will help build a strong relationship with the village.
When operational, the Waterpower project will reduce the site’s carbon footprint and energy bills by an estimated 25%.
This project has been in the pipeline for a while now, and with electricity bills escalating from £45,000 to £170,000 per annum from July 2022 to April 2023, its planned completion for the end of 2023 could not have come at a better time.
Operations Director, Simon Gill, worked with the University of Nottingham and asked students to design the most effective way of using waterpower to generate electricity for the site. A very similar project to the one Richard Arkwright took on the 1700s. It became a valuable learning opportunity and Adam Langan, studying Sustainable Energy Engineering, was identified as the perfect candidate. Adam’s investigation showed which type of wheel would be most effective in both energy efficiency and return on investment and provided the foundations for the design of the wheel. This initial work led to further feasibility work, funded by the Rural Community Energy Fund. It then informed a number of successful grant applications to the Green Entrepreneurs Fund (Derbyshire County Council), Severn Trent Community Fund and The Wolfson Foundation, to deliver the project. As the project nears completion, many organisations, local suppliers, businesses, and a successful crowd funding campaign, have all contributed to the project.
Collaborating with different organisations and institutions has many advantages. The Arkwright Society have provided invaluable learning opportunities for the future renewables workforce, and will practically reduce utility costs. This collaboration has allowed them to access funding that they otherwise would not have been eligible for and build confidence in the scheme.
The Arkwright Society hope the waterwheel, turbine and heat pumps will be operational by the end of 2023. It has been projected that annually this will help reduce CO2 emissions from the mill by 14 tonnes and will generate 20-25% of the electricity used on site. Along with reducing the carbon footprint and energy bills at Cromford Mills, this is helping the Arkwright Society strengthen its charitable objectives of education and conservation with sustainability at its heart. The project has been a learning opportunity from the very beginning, helping students at the university practically apply their knowledge of renewable energy. Going forward, having a working water turbine on site will help develop STEM learning activities on local sustainability and renewable energies. This renewable energy project will demonstrate the importance of using renewable energy and act as a catalyst to continue the ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ at Cromford Mills.
Further Information
Information about the Waterpower Project can be found here cromfordmills.org.uk/hydro-power-project/
Cromford Mills features in a separate learning case study within our toolkit, accessible to members, where Education Officer Michael Ledger gives his ‘top tips’ and advice about setting up a successful education programme.
This case study was written by Jess van der Drift
