Cromford Mills WHS

The Arkwright Society secured funding to restore the Grade I Listed Building 17 within their Cromford Mills complex to develop a ‘Gateway Centre’ to the Derwent Valley Mills
World Heritage Site on the ground floor.

As an already established destination, Cromford Mills has been developed to function as the northern Gateway for visitors to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

Tandem were appointed as the interpretive design consultants who designed and delivered all interpretive elements of the project. This included providing the opportunity to experience the site of the first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in the world.

We developed a 3D sculptured model of the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site augmented by touch screen interactives, offering different levels of information about the 17 sites along the 15-mile stretch of the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site from Masson Mill to the Derby Silk Mill. 

We also facilitated various hands on interactives within this space to encourage interaction for all age groups. These include a block puzzle,
a magnetic puzzle and lifting flaps which reveal key facts and information. 

With additional funding we delivered an impressive and impactful AV element in Building 18 using front and rear projected screens.

Visitors are greeted by Sir Arkwright, telling his own first hand account
of events surrounding the development of Cromford and the world’s first water-powered cotton spinning mill. This presentation reinforced the global significance of this invention, and the mass production and systems it made possible.

Cromford Mills won a prestigious Europa Nostra prize for Cultural Heritage in 2017. The Europe-wide jury recognised the high quality of the Visitor Centre and the significance of its educational function for the entire World Heritage Site.