A Fashionable Place to Live….

Mill Cottages, Melbourne.

Trendy looking cottages along this Derbyshire village street are much sort after residences and frankly the village is indeed an idyllic place in which to live.

But these cottages can tell another story for they were originally constructed as Mill Cottages. There is a clue in their construction…note the upper windows are longer and on a level despite the fact that these cottages are on a slope and the lower floors are staggered to accommodate this change in levels.

For these were indeed ‘workers’ cottages’ in the true meaning of the word.  The upper level was usually one long room where looms or spinning machines were located with the lower level being the workers accommodation. It was a style of construction that can be found in Mill towns across Derbyshire, a style of construction that I believe was first conceived by Richard Arkwright and built in the village of Cromford as part of his Mill complex.

4th September

(C) David Oakes 2015