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Darley Abbey Mills, DERBY, DE22 1DZ

The road leads through the complex of Darley Abbey Mills. Now no longer mills but many small businesses. The road then crosses the River Derwent by a toll bridge. The price is £1 to cross in a vehicle but the money is rarely collected.

This building that is now used by a firm selling stoves, hence the multiplicity of stove-pipes, was built in 1896 to house an 1897 built horizontal tandem compound steam engine by John Musgrave & Sons of Bolton. This had Corliss valve cylinders of 14" & 28" x 36" and was good for 250 horsepower at 80 rpm. The flywheel had wooden boarding over the spokes and must have driven by ropes. The steam pipe entered the building via the circular opening above and to the right of the main end door. The site made extensive use of water power, first with wheels and latterly with turbines and I do not know if any of these survive. The engine house joins the middle mill of 1796-1801 vintage and to the left of the engine house can be seen an arch that must have been on the tail-race side of one of the two wheels in this mill. Interestingly, one of these wheels was a 'flood wheel' set at a higher level so that it would work when the river was in flood (a term that's new to me). Above the engine house there is a vertical join flanked by a change in style of fenestration and the building to the right of the join is the East Mill of c1818-21.

The projecting building with the Georgian style door was built in 1896 to house an 1897 built horizontal tandem compound steam engine by John Musgrave & Sons of Bolton. This had Corliss valve cylinders of 14" & 28" x 36" and was good for 250 horsepower at 80 rpm. The flywheel had wooden boarding over the spokes and must have driven by ropes. The steam pipe entered the building via the circular opening above and to the right of the main end door. The mill building to the right is the East Mill of c1818-21 and the building to which the engine house is attached and extending to the left is the middle mill of 1796-1801 vintage. The gable end on the left of the Middle Mill is the Long Mill which was built in 1782 and rebuilt 1789. I took this from the top of a staircase that I ascended, so I thought, unobtrusively only to find two large martial artists welcoming me at the top. I asked politely if I could take this shot and they equally politely let me.

A view of the mill chimney and boiler/engine houses. See Image]

See Image], the outlet for water can be seen to the left. It is one of two, one hidden by a rather ugly van and not included.

Part of the Boar's Head Mill complex at Darley Abbey. This building is c1818-21. In the left foreground are the remains of the head-race sluices for the waterpower installation in the Middle Mill that is out of field to the left. The water flowed under the road, which was on a bridge at this point. Apparently the mills' water supply was lost in 1969 and the head race is all under tarmac now.

Looking toward mill buildings in the World Heritage Site

This shows part of the complex here. In the foreground is part of the complex to the north of the road. The single storey shed is labelled as the 'old gas house'. It is possible this was associated with producer gas plant as there was a gas engine in part of the complex. The bulk of the buildings are south of the road and are well documented. The chimney was presumably for the boiler plant for the 1897 Musgrave engine, for which the house survives. The left end of the main block is the East Mill of c1818-21. Right of the lift tower is the Middle Mill of 1796-1801 and this is perpendicular to the Long Mill which was built in 1782 and rebuilt 1789.

Former large textile mill complex now in multiple occupancy and part of the World Heritage Site of Derwent Valley mills.

The Darley Abbey Mills, Bridge and Weir in Darley Abbey, Derby. Compare to Image] Image] Image] Image] and even Image