The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site is a place to inspire your group to explore, create, think, learn, experience and do!
The mills built here were the world’s first factories using cotton or silk to make thread. Water wheels powered new machinery on a large scale for the first time anywhere in the world. The mill owners built houses, schools, shops and churches to attract a workforce to the area. At first goods were moved using packhorses and carts; later, canals and railways. All of this remains for you to explore today.
A wide range of options are available to schools along this important 15 mile site. The key attractions and nearby visits are featured inside this booklet.
