Everything about New Lanark totally explained
New Lanark is a village on the
River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles (or 2.2 kilometers) from
Lanark, in
South Lanarkshire,
Scotland. It was founded in 1786 by
David Dale, who built
cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to take advantage of the water power provided by the river. Under the ownership of a partnership that included Dale's son-in-law,
Robert Owen, a
philanthropist and
social reformer, New Lanark became a successful business and an epitome of
utopian
socialism.
The New Lanark mills operated until 1968. After a period of decline, the
New Lanark Conservation Trust was founded in 1975 to prevent demolition of the village.
As of 2006, most of the buildings have been restored and the village has become a
major tourist attraction. It is one of four
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland and an Anchor Point of ERIH - The
European Route of Industrial Heritage.
History
The New Lanark cotton mills were founded in 1786, 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, which have been painted by
J. M. W. Turner and many other artists.
Dale sold the mills, lands and village in the early 19th century (for £60,000, repayable over 20 years) 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 (
see also: Owenism).
The New Lanark mills depended upon water power. A
dam was constructed on the Clyde above New Lanark and water was drawn off the river to power the mill machinery. The water first traveled through a tunnel, and then through an open channel called the lade. It then went to a number of water wheels in each mill building. It wasn't until 1929 that the last waterwheel was replaced by a water turbine. Water power is still used in New Lanark. A new water turbine has been installed in Mill Three and is used to provide electricity for the tourist areas of the village.
In Owen's time 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 in the village (one of the tenement blocks is named Nursery Buildings) and working at the mills, and opened the first
infant 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. Owen’s philosophy was contrary to contemporary thinking, but he was able to demonstrate that it wasn't necessary for an industrial enterprise to treat its workers badly to be profitable. Owen was able to show visitors the village’s excellent housing and amenities, and the accounts showing the profitability of the mills.
As well as the mills' connections with reform, socialism and welfare, they're 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.
In 1825, control of New Lanark passed to the Walker family. The Walkers managed the village until 1881, when it was sold to Birkmyre and Sommerville. They, and their successor companies, remained in control of the village until the mills closed in 1968.
After the mills closed people started to move away from the village, and the buildings began to deteriorate. In 1963 the New Lanark Association was formed as a housing association and commenced the restoration of Caithness Row and Nursery Buildings. In 1970 the mills, other industrial buildings and the houses used by Dale and Owen were sold to Metal Extractions Limited, a scrap metal company. In 1974 the New Lanark Conservation Trust [NLCT] was founded to prevent demolition of the village. A compulsory purchase order was used in 1983 to recover the mills and other buildings from Metal Extractions. They are now controlled by the NLCT. By 2005 most of the buildings have been restored and the village has become a major tourist attraction.
Living Conditions
In the mid 19th century, an entire family would have been housed in a single room. Some sense of such living conditions can be obtained by visiting The
David Livingstone Centre at Blantyre. David Dale, who founded New Lanark, was also involved in the mills at Blantyre. Only one tenement row has survived in Blantyre, and that building is now a museum. Mostly, this is devoted to
David Livingstone, who was born there in 1813. However, the museum, too, includes a re-creation of the single~room living conditions of the time at New Lanark, featuring such as
trundle beds for children~ as Livingstone would have used. The David Livingstone Centre is 18 miles by road from New Lanark, and lies between Glasgow and Hamilton.
The living conditions in the village gradually improved, and by the early 20th century families would have had the use of several rooms. It wasn't until 1933 that the houses sported interior cold water taps for sinks. In that year, the old communal outside toilets were replaced with inside facilities.
From 1898, the village proprietors provided free electricity to all the homes in New Lanark; But only enough power was available for one dim bulb to be lit in each room. The power was switched off at 10 pm each night, or one hour later on Saturday. In 1955, New Lanark was connected to the
national grid.
New Lanark today
It has been estimated that over 400,000 people visit the village each year. The importance of New Lanark has been recognized by
UNESCO as one of
Scotland's four
World Heritage Sites, the others being
Edinburgh Old and New Towns, Heart of Neolithic Orkney and
St Kilda.
About 200 people now live in New Lanark. 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 Association and the New Lanark Conservation Trust. Braxfield Row and most of Long Row were restored by private individuals who bought the houses as derelict shells and restored them as private houses. In addition to the twenty owner occupied properties in the village, there are 45 rented properties which are let by the New Lanark Association [NLA], which is a registered housing association. The NLA also owns some other buildings in the village. It has been critiscised for its failure to restore Double Row and rebuild Mantilla Row.
Considerable attention has been given to maintaining the historical authenticity of the village. No television aerials or satellite dishes are allowed in the village, and services such as telephone, television and electricity are delivered though buried cables. To provide a consistent appearance all external woodwork is painted white, and doors and windows follow a consistent design. Householders used to be banned from owning dogs, but this rule is no longer enforced.
Some features introduced by the New Lanark Conservation Trust, such as commercial signage and a glass bridge connecting the Engine House and Mill Three, have been criticised. The retention of a 1924 pattern
red telephone box in the village square has also been seen as inappropriate.
The mills, the hotel and most of the non-residential buildings in the village are owned and operated by the New Lanark Conservation Trust.
Buildings
- Braxfield Row [builtc1790] – a tenement block converted to ten houses. There are nine four storey properties and one five storey property. All the houses are owner occupied.
- Long Row [builtc1790] - a tenement block converted to fourteen houses, all three storey. Ten of the houses are owner occupied and four are tenanted.
- Double Row [builtc1795] – a five storey tenement block, containing back to back apartments. The side facing the river was also known as Water Row. The row is currently derelict.
- Mantilla Row [builtc1795] – this tenement block was demolished when it became structurally unsafe. New foundations and a retaining wall have been laid, but the row hasn't been rebuilt.
- Wee Row [builtc1795] – a tenement block which was converted to a youth hostel in 1994. The hostel is operated by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association.
- New Buildings [built1798] – a four storey building containing the bell tower. The bell, which once summoned the workers to the mills, is now sounded once a year at midnight on the last day of the year. The building contains a museum and tenanted flats.
- Nursery Buildings [built1809] – a three storey building which has been converted to tenanted flats. The buildings were once used to house the orphan children who worked in the mills.
- Caithness Row [built1792] – a three storey tenement block which has been converted to tenanted flats. Caithness is a district in the Scottish Highlands and the row was supposedly named for a group of Highlanders who were recruited to work in the mills.
- Village Church [builtin 1898] – now used for social purposes.
Mill Number One [builtin 1789] – this mill was built in 1785 and started spinning in March 1786. It burnt down on the 9 October 1788 and was rebuilt in 1789. In 1802 the mill had three waterwheels driving 6556 spindles. In 1811 558 people [408of them female] worked in the mill. In 1945 it had its top two floors removed. The building became derelict and was demolished and rebuilt as the New Lanark Mill Hotel. The hotel opened in 1998.
Waterhouses – this row of one and two storey buildings lie next to Mill Number One and have been converted to holiday flats. They were built circa 1799-1818.
Mill Number Two - this mill was built in 1788. In 1811 it had three waterwheels and employed 486 people [283of them women]. It was widened in 1884-5 to accommodate ring frames. The extension is the only brick faced building in the village. This building is now used for tourist purposes.
Mill Number Three - this mill was built 1790-92. It was known as 'the jeanies house' and contained a large number of water powered jennies. It burned down in 1819 and was rebuilt circa 1826-33. In 1811 it employed 398 people [286of them women]. This building is now used for tourist purposes. The building also contains a water turbine which generates electric power for parts of the village.
Mill Number Four – this mill was built circa 1791-3. It was initially used as a storeroom and workshop. It also housed '275 children who have no parents' [Donnachieand G. Hewitt]. It was destroyed by fire in 1883 and hasn't been rebuilt. In 1990 a waterwheel was brought from Hole Mill Farm, Fife and installed on the site of the mill.
Institute for the Formation of Character [builtin 1816] – a four storey building which is now used for tourism and business purposes.
Engine House [builtin 1881] – this building is attached to the Institute for the Formation of Character and contains a restored steam engine.
School [builtin 1817] – a three storey building which is now used as a museum. This building housed the first school for working class children in Scotland.
Mechanics Workshop [builtin 1809] – a three storey building which once housed the craftsmen who built and maintained the mill machinery.
Dyeworks [builtin ?] – this was originally a brass and iron foundry and had its own waterwheel. The buildings now contain shops and a visitor centre.
Gasworks with octagonal tower [builtat some time before 1851] - this building is used as a store.
Owens House [builtin 1790] – this building is now used as a museum.
Dales House [builtin 1790] – this building is now occupied by a firm of book publishers, Waverley Books.
Mill Lade - dug to carry water from the River Clyde to power the mill machinery.
Graveyard - the graveyard is on the hill above New Lanark, between the village and the visitors car park. Many of the first villagers are buried there.
1 & 2 New Lanark Road - two opposing two storey gatehouses which are some distance from the village. These marked the entrance to New Lanark. They are now in private ownership.
Visiting New Lanark
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, about two kilometres away. Lanark has a railway station with half hourly services from Glasgow.
The village has a three star hotel (the New Lanark Mill Hotel, which is owned and operated by the New Lanark Conservation Trust), a number of holiday flats (the Waterhouses) which are let by the hotel and a youth hostel operated by Scottish Youth Hostels Association. There are restaurants and shops in the village, and a visitors centre.
The Clyde walkway long distance footpath passes through the village and the Scottish Wildlife Trust's visitor centre for the Falls of Clyde Nature reserve is based in a group of mill buildings.
Photographs gallery
Image:mantillarow.jpg|Mantilla Row [nowdemolished].
Image:NewlanarkNL00.jpg|The old School.
Image:NewlanarkNL01.jpg|Mills, lade and glass bridge.
Image:DSCF0634.JPG|New Lanark village square.
Image:DSCF0638.JPG|Wee Row youth hostel.
Image:DSCF0640.JPG|The Counting House.
Image:DSCF1135.JPG|Graveyard on hill above village.
Image:DSCF1137.JPG|Grave of early villager.
Image:DSCF1144.JPG|Graveyard.
Image:DSCF1148.JPG|New Lanark village.
Image:New Lanark Waterwheel 2.JPG|The waterwheel at the site of the old Mill 4.
Image:New Lanark Waterwheel 1.JPG|Detail of the waterwheel at the site of old mill 4.
As it was
Number 1 Mill 1975
Number 1 Mill 1991
View of New Lanark 1961
Robert Owen's house 1968
The Institute 1979
The Lade 1968
Caithness Row green 1965
Carding engine 1968
Workers housing 1968Further Information
Get more info on 'New Lanark'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://new_lanark.totallyexplained.com">New Lanark Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
