a view from the industrial revolution

The first day back at work after a holiday is always exhausting,

I took a short detour on the way home to blip this scene of Belper Mill. Nestled in the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site it is one of the most important industrial buildings in the world.

The large building is East Mill but the smaller North Mill in front left of it is one of the oldest surviving examples of an industrialised, iron framed, ‘fire-proof’ building, its unique construction saw it play an important role in the industrial revolution and become the forerunner of the modern skyscraper.

The original North Mill, completed in 1786 by Jedediah Strutt, was destroyed by fire in 1803. Its replacement was built in 1804 by his son, William Strutt
Subsequent generations of the Strutt family continued to develop and improve the site at Belper and it continued as a working textile mill until 1991. However like most of the mills in the valley they are thankfully protected but struggle to find a useful life in todays world.