Cromford

Cromford is a small village located in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock., Derbyshire. It is first mentioned in the Domesday Book as Crumforde, a berewick of Wirksworth.

The village is famously known for its historical connection with Richard Arkwright, and the nearby Cromford Mill which he built outside the village in 1771. Cromford is a Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site. The Cromford mill complex is being restored by the Arkwright Society.

The Via Gellia valley joins the Derwent at Cromford, its stream is know as Ivonbrook and originally it was called Ivonbrook Valley. The Via Gellia is simply the name of the road which runs along it, named after the Gell family who owned many mines in the area. The Gell family, who were local Hopton landowners were involved in the nearby Wirksworth lead mining district, had the Via Gellia built to connect Cromford and Grangemill in the late 18th century.

It is one of the significant sites in the development of the Industrial Revolution as Richard Arkwright built a cotton mill to make use of the water frame. He is known as `The Father of the Factory System` chose to build the world’s first water-powered cotton mill in 1771. Willersley Castle, is a Grade II* listed building, was also built by Richard Arkwright in 1791, after a fire in 1792, it was rebuilt and occupied by his son Richard Arkwright junior starting in 1796.

Various cottages and farm buildings predate Arkwright's time, but a large part of the village was built to house the mill workers. Employees were provided with shops, pubs, chapels and a school.

In the early 1800s, Scarthin Nick was blasted through with dynamite to make way for what later became the A6. Dene quarry, currently operated by Tarmac Ltd for the production of aggregates and roadstone, was excavated to the south west of the village from 1942 onwards.

In December 2001, a 15 miles corridor from Masson Mill in Matlock Bath to the Silk Mill in Derby which include the mills in Cromford, Milford, Belper and Darley Abbey was declared the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

The Cromford Canal was built to service the mills, is now disused, has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The canal tow-path can be followed from Cromford Wharf to High Peak Junction, and on to Whatstandwell and Ambergate. The Cromford and High Peak Railway, completed in 1831, ran from High Peak Junction to the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. Its track bed now forms the High Peak Trail, a walk and cycle route which is joined by the Tissington Trail at Parsley Hay.