Haarlem Mill
Wirksworth, Derbyshire, England | |
| Client | Richard Arkwright |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°04′08″N 1°34′37″W / 53.069°N 1.577°W |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1777 |
| Completed | 1780 |
| Employees | 200 in 1789 |
| Power | |
| Engine maker | Francis Thompson of Ashover |
| Engine type | Supplementary atmospheric |
| Cylinder diameter and throw | 5ft |
| Flywheel diameter | 18ft |
| Water Power | |
| Wheels | Prime mover |
Haarlem Mill, on the River Ecclesbourne in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was an early cotton mill. Built by Richard Arkwright, it was the first cotton mill in the world to use a steam engine, though this was used to supplement the supply of water to the mill's water wheel, not to drive the machinery directly.[1]
The site of the mill, including an older
reciprocating steam engine, probably manufactured by Francis Thompson of Ashover, to supplement the occasionally inadequate water supply.[2] This was a medium-sized engine with a 26-foot-long (7.9 m) beam, an 18-foot-diameter (5.5 m) flywheel[2] a 30-inch-diameter (760 mm) cylinder and a stroke of 5 feet (1.5 m).[3] Similar to engines commonly used at the time to pump out nearby mines, it operated 24 hours a day, powering two pumps.[3]
By 1789 the mill was employing almost 200 people, but it was sold by Arkwright three years later.[4] The base of the original building survives, but the upper three floors have since been rebuilt.[5] The empty grade II* listed building was listed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register but in 2018 was noted that a major phase of repair and conversion work had been completed. [6][7]
See also
Notes
- ^ Fitton 1989, p. 57; Tann 1979, p. 248
- ^ a b c Fitton 1989, p. 57
- ^ a b c Tann 1979, p. 248
- ^ Fitton 1989, p. 58
- ^ Historic England. "Haarlem Mill (1335116)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ "Haarlem Mill, Derby Road, Wirksworth - Derbyshire Dales". Historic England. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Heritage at Risk 2018 - East Midlands (Report). Historic England. p. 6. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
Bibliography
- Fitton, R. S. (1989), The Arkwrights: spinners of fortune, Manchester: Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-2646-1, retrieved 2010-08-14
- Tann, Jennifer (July 1979), "Arkwright's Employment of Steam Power", Business History, 21 (2): 247–250,
External links
- "Haarlem Mill", Official Website