The history of Darley Abbey

DARLEY Abbey Mills is a collection of buildings steeped in Derby’s industrial heritage.

The buildings date back to the late 1700s and were originally built as cotton mills.

The River Derwent was the main reason industrial roots were laid down in this part of Darley Abbey.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, a series of water-powered mills – for corn, flint, leather and paper – were developed on land between Darley Street and the west bank of the river.

The land on the opposite bank was acquired by Thomas Evans for his cotton mills in 1778. Here, from 1782 onwards, he applied his skills to cotton spinning and to the development of a factory community.

These mills later became known as the Boar’s Head Mills and were built between 1782 and 1830.

They constitute the most complete of the surviving cotton mill complexes in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and are of immense historical and architectural importance. The site contains five main mills and ancillary structures, including warehouses, offices, stables, bobbin shops and domestic buildings.

The Boar’s Head Mills specialised in quality thread for sewing, embroidery and haberdashery. They were originally water-powered but later driven by steam.

The Evans’s involvement in the cotton mills ceased with the death of Walter Evans II in 1903.

In 1905, John Peacock, hitherto manager, bought the mills from the estate. The Peacock family ran the business until 1943 when it was sold to J&P Coats, of the Coats Viyella Group.

In 1969 the sale of the mills for other uses began. At one point, much of the mills stood empty and parts fell into disrepair.

Then Patterns Properties came on the scene. Since 2010, the firm has been sympathetically transforming the buildings into a thriving business complex of high-quality offices, studios, showrooms, workshops and galleries.