In 1777 Sir Richard Arkwright combined the traditional cottage weaving industry with water power at Cromford Mill. He started the industrialisation of cotton cloth manufacturing, which was to become one of the cornerstones of the 18th and 19th-century Industrial Revolution that created our modern world. The importance of Arkwright's contribution is acknowledged in the Grade I listing of the buildings at Cromford and its inclusion as one of the key assets in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
We have been commissioned to create a World Heritage Site Gateway on the ground floor of Building 17 with a small business centre for creative media companies on the floors above. The World Heritage Site Gateway will provide a starting point for visitors to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, telling the story of the Valley. The creative media centre will provide suites of small offices with a central reception facility, shared meeting rooms and other support accommodation to cater to 'dry' media businesses and start-ups.