3748 x 5616 px | 31,7 x 47,5 cm | 12,5 x 18,7 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
25. Mai 2015
Ort:
Lumsdale Falls, Lumsdale, Matlock, UK
Weitere Informationen:
The Lumsdale Valley is a small wooded gorge of outstanding natural beauty tucked away high above Matlock. With its crumbling stone ruins, waterwheels, ponds and waterfalls, nature has melded with the industrial remains of the past to create an oasis of romantic decay. Lumsdale is also one of the best examples of a water-powered industrial archaeological site in Great Britain and it is unusual to see such extensive use of water power in such a relatively small area.In the part of the valley owned by the Arkwright Society at least seven mills remain, including a bleach works, all of which were powered by water from the Bentley Brook. By the 1600s there was at least one mill in operation, yet it was not until the late 18th century that the demand for water power reached its height. This followed Arkwright’s successes at Cromford as the valley attracted investment on a substantial scale as entrepreneurs fought for sites on which to build their own cotton mills. Subsequently the mills were put to various uses including cotton spinning, bleaching, and grinding corn, bone and minerals for paint manufacture. Cottages, situated near one of the Valley’s ponds, were created from a single building which once housed two lead cupolas with a counting house and smithy on the other side of the track. Industrial use of the site continued until the 1930s. As the buildings in the upper section of the valley fell out of use, they were abandoned and allowed to become derelict. The valley, which once had been known for the stark beauty of its rocky outcrops, well-manicured ponds and its waterfall, became thickly wooded, dark and forgotten.
