New Lanark
History
The New Lanark cotton mills were founded in 1786, next to the Scottish town of Lanark
by David Dale. Dale was one of the self-made Burgher Gentry of Glasgow who, like most of this gentry, had a summer retreat - an estate at Rosebank, Cambuslang not far from the Falls of Clyde. He had established a partnership with Richard Arkwright , inventor of the Spinning Jenny which later revolutionised industrial spinning. The mills were built at New Lanark to take advantage of water power provided by the River Clyde. A dam was contructed above New Lanark and water was drawn off the river to power the mill machinery. The water first travelled through a tunnel, and then through an open channel called the lade. Water power is still used to provide electric power for the tourist areas of the village.
Dale sold the mills in the early 19th century to a partnership that included Dale's son-in-law Robert Owen. Owen was an industrialist who carried on his father-in-law's philanthropic approach to industrial working and who subsequently became an influential social reformer. New Lanark, with its social and welfare programmes, epitomised his utopian socialism.
Some 2,500 people lived at New Lanark, many from the poorhouses of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Although not the grimmest of mills by far, Owen found the conditions unsatisfactory and resolved to improve the workers' lot. He paid particular attention to the needs of the 500 or so children living and working at the mills, and opened the first infants' school in Britain in 1816.
The mills thrived commercially, but Owen's partners were unhappy at the extra expense incurred by his welfare programmes. Unwilling to allow the mills to revert back to the old ways of operating, Owen bought out his partners.
New Lanark became celebrated throughout Europe, with many leading royals, statesmen and reformers visiting the mills. They were astonished to find a clean, healthy industrial environment with a content, vibrant workforce and a prosperous, viable business venture all rolled into one.
As well as the mills' connections with reform, socialism and welfare, they are also representative of the Industrial Revolution that occurred in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries and which fundamentally altered the shape of the world.
The Falls of Clyde, painted by J.M.W. Turner (below) and many other artists, are a short walk upstream.
New Lanark now
The New Lanark mills operated until 1967. After the mills closed people started to move away from the village, and the buildings began to deteriorate. In 1975 the New Lanark Conservation Trust was founded to prevent demolition of the village. By 2005 most of the buildings have been restored and the village has become a major tourist attraction. It has been estimated that over 400,000 people visit the village each year. The importance of New Lanark has been recognized by UNESCO, who have awarded it World Heritage status.
Of the residential buildings, only Mantilla Row and Double Row have not been restored. Some of the restoration work was undertaken by the New Lanark Housing Association, who now manage the tenanted properties. Braxfield Row and most of Long Row was restored by private individuals who bought the houses as derelict shells and restored them as private houses. It is estimated that about 250 people now live in the village.
Buildings
- Braxfield Row [build c1790] – a row of ten houses. There are nine four storey properties and one five storey property,. All the houses are owner occupied.
- Long Row [built c1790] - a row of fourteen houses, all three storey. Ten of the houses are owner occupied and four are tenanted.
- Double Row [built c1795] – a row of five storey houses. The row is currently derelict.
- Mantilla Row [built c1795] – this row was demolished when it became structurally unsafe. New foundations and a retaining wall have been laid, but the building has not been rebuilt.
- Wee Row [built c1795] – a row of houses which has been converted to a youth hostel. The hostel is operated by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association.
- New Buildings [built 1798] – a four storey building containing the clock tower. The building has been converted to tenanted flats.
- Nursey Buildings [built 1809] – a three storey building which has been converted to tenanted flats.
- Caithness Row [built 1792] – a row of three storey houses which have been converted to tenanted flats.
- Village Church [built in 1898] – now used for social purposes.
- Mill Number One [built in 11789] – this building became derelict and was rebuilt as the New Lanark Mill Hotel.
- Waterhouses – a row of one and two storey buildings which lie next to Mill Number One and have been converted to holiday flats.
- Mill Number Two [built in 1788] – this building is now used for tourist purposes.
- Mill Number Three [built in 1824] – this building is now used for tourist purposes. The building also contains a turbine which generates electric power for parts of the village.
- Mill Number Four – this building was destroyed by fire in 1883.
- Institute for the Formation of Character [built in 1816] – a four storey building which is now used for tourism and business purposes.
- Engine House [built in 1881] – this building is attached to the Institute for the Formation of Character and contains a restored steam engine.
- School [built in 1817] – a three storey building which is now used as a museum.
- Mechanics Workshop [built in 1809] – a three storey building, only part of which is in use.
- Dyeworks [built in ] – these buildings contain shops and a visitor centre.
- Owens House [built in 1790] – this building is used as a museum.
- Dales House [built in 1790] – this building is occupied by a firm of book publishers.
Visiting New Lanark
The village has a three star hotel, a number of holiday flats [let by the hotel] and a youth hostel. There are several restaurants and shops in the village. There is a vistors centre.
There is a large free car park on the outskirts of the village. Only disabled visitors may park in the village.
There is a bus service from Lanark, which is about two kilometres away. Lanark has a railway station, with half hourly services from Glasgow.
See also
References
Historic New Lanark by I Donnachie and G Hewitt. Published by Edinburgh University Press in 1993. ISBN 0 7486 0420 0.