New Lanark

New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately two kilometres from the Royal Burgh of Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to take advantage of the water power provided by the River Clyde. Under the ownership of a partnership that included Dale's son-in-law, Robert Owen, a philanthropist and social reformer, New Lanark became a successful business and an epitome of utopian socialism.

The New Lanark mills operated until 1968. After a period of decline, the New Lanark Conservation Trust was founded in 1975 to prevent demolition of the village. As of 2006, most of the buildings have been restored and the village has become a major tourist attraction. It is one of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland.

History

The New Lanark cotton mills were founded in 1786, by David Dale. Dale was one of the self-made "Burgher Gentry" of Glasgow who, like most of this gentry, had a summer retreat, an estate at Rosebank, Cambuslang, not far from the Falls of Clyde, which have painted by J. M. W. Turner and many other artists. A dam was constructed above New Lanark and water was drawn off the river to power the mill machinery. The water first travelled through a tunnel, and then through an open channel called the lade. Water power is still used to provide electricity for the tourist areas of the village.

Dale sold the mills, lands and village in the early 19th century (for £60,000, repayable over 20 years) to a partnership that included Dale's son-in-law Robert Owen. Owen was an industrialist who carried on his father-in-law's philanthropic approach to industrial working and who subsequently became an influential social reformer. New Lanark, with its social and welfare programmes, epitomised his Utopian socialism.

Some 2,500 people lived at New Lanark, many from the poorhouses of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Although not the grimmest of mills by far, Owen found the conditions unsatisfactory and resolved to improve the workers' lot. He paid particular attention to the needs of the 500 or so children living and working at the mills, and opened the first infants' school in Britain in 1816.

The mills thrived commercially, but Owen's partners were unhappy at the extra expense incurred by his welfare programmes. Unwilling to allow the mills to revert back to the old ways of operating, Owen bought out his partners.

New Lanark became celebrated throughout Europe, with many leading royals, statesmen and reformers visiting the mills. They were astonished to find a clean, healthy industrial environment with a content, vibrant workforce and a prosperous, viable business venture all rolled into one.

As well as the mills' connections with reform, socialism and welfare, they are also representative of the Industrial Revolution that occurred in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries and which fundamentally altered the shape of the world.

In 1825, control of New Lanark passed to the Walker family. The Walkers managed the village until 1881, when it was sold to Birkmyre and Sommerville. They, and their successor companies, remained in control of the village until the mills closed in 1968.

The New Lanark mills operated until 1968. After the mills closed people started to move away from the village, and the buildings began to deteriorate. In 1975 the New Lanark Conservation Trust was founded to prevent demolition of the village. By 2005 most of the buildings have been restored and the village has become a major tourist attraction.

New Lanark now

It has been estimated that over 400,000 people visit the village each year. The importance of New Lanark has been recognized by UNESCO as one of Scotland's four World Heritage Sites, the others being Edinburgh, Skara Brae and St Kilda.

Of the residential buildings, only Mantilla Row and Double Row have not been restored. Some of the restoration work was undertaken by the New Lanark Housing Association, who now manage the tenanted properties. Braxfield Row and most of Long Row was restored by private individuals who bought the houses as derelict shells and restored them as private houses. It is estimated that about 250 people now live in the village.

Buildings

Braxfield Row c1790 – a row of ten houses. There are nine four storey properties and one five storey property. All the houses are owner occupied.
Long Row c1790 - a row of fourteen houses, all three storey. Ten of the houses are owner occupied and four are tenanted.
Double Row c1795 – a row of five storey back to back houses. The row is currently derelict.
Mantilla Row c1795 – this row of three houses was demolished when it became structurally unsafe. New foundations and a retaining wall have been laid, but the row has not been rebuilt.
Wee Row c1795 – a row of houses which has been converted to a youth hostel. The hostel is operated by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association.
New Buildings 1798 – a four storey building containing the clock tower. The building has been converted to tenanted flats.
Nursery Buildings 1809 – a three storey building which has been converted to tenanted flats. The buildings were once used to house the orphan children who worked in the mills.
Caithness Row 1792 – a row of three storey houses which have been converted to tenanted flats. Caithness is a district in the Scottish Highlands. The row was named for a group of Highlanders who were recruited to work in the mills.
Village Church in 1898 – now used for social purposes.
Mill Number One in 1789 – this building became derelict and was rebuilt as the New Lanark Mill Hotel.
Waterhouses – a row of one and two storey buildings which lie next to Mill Number One and have been converted to holiday flats.
Mill Number Two in 1788 – this building is now used for tourist purposes.
Mill Number Three in 1824 – this building is now used for tourist purposes. The building also contains a turbine which generates electric power for parts of the village.
Mill Number Four – this building was destroyed by fire in 1883 and has not been rebuilt.
Institute for the Formation of Character in 1816 – a four storey building which is now used for tourism and business purposes.
Engine House in 1881 – this building is attached to the Institute for the Formation of Character and contains a restored steam engine.
School in 1817 – a three storey building which is now used as a museum. This building housed the first school for working class children in Scotland.
Mechanics Workshop in 1809 – a three storey building which once housed the crafstmen who built and maintained the mill machinery.
Dyeworks in ? – these buildings now contain shops and a visitor centre.
Gasworks with octagonal tower at some time before 1851 - this building is used as a store.
Owens House in 1790 – this building is now used as a museum.
Dales House in 1790 – this building is now occupied by a firm of book publishers.
Mill Lade - built to carry water from the River Clyde to power the mill machinery.
Graveyard - the graveyard is on the hill above New Lanark, between the village and the visitors car park. Many of the first villagers are buried there.

Visiting

The village has a three star hotel New Lanark Mill Hotel, a number of holiday flats (let by the hotel) and a youth hostel operated by Scottish Youth Hostels. There are restaurants and shops in the village, and a visitors centre.

There is a large free car park on the outskirts of the village. Only disabled visitors may park in the village. There is a bus service from Lanark, about two kilometres away. Lanark has a railway station with half hourly services from Glasgow.

The geographical coordinates of New Lanark are

Longitude -3.7827301025390625 Latitude 55.664999540381345

Annotated map of Lanark and New Lanark

References

Historic New Lanark, I. Donnachie and G. Hewitt. Edinburgh University Press, 1993. ISBN 0748604200.

External links

Model villages | South Lanarkshire | World Heritage Sites in Scotland

New Lanark | New Lanark | New Lanark