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Awards

The Society has received several awards for its work in Lumsdale; the Civic Trust Pride of Place Competition (2nd Prize) in 1981 and 1986, the Times / RIBA Community Enterprise Award in 1986, presented by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and a commendation in the 1990 Derbyshire County Council Greenwatch Award.

undergrowth, offering a home to a wide variety of wildlife. Right through until her death in 1996, Marjorie Mills retained her passion for Lumsdale and especially for its trees and natural beauty. But by 1976, she had recognised that she could not protect and manage her property single-handed. The buildings near the road were in danger of falling onto the highway; the dams which once retained the mill ponds had either to be pulled down or repaired; and these issues now had to be considered against a background of an increasing awareness of the archaeological significance of Lumsdale’s derelict mills and water courses. Accordingly, the Arkwright Society was offered the lease of much of Marjorie Mills’ Lumsdale estate on a peppercorn basis, provided it was prepared to undertake the preservation of the valley.

In 1979, a committee of Lumsdale residents and Arkwright Society members was formed and a plan for the area devised. At the heart of the Arkwright Society’s strategy for the valley, there were three guiding principles. The mills and other buildings would not for the most part be restored. They were to be frozen in their picturesque decay. Secondly, the public was to be offered access to as much of the site as could be made safe by means of paths, stiles and fencing; and the bosky charm of the wooded areas was to be retained wherever the trees were not endangering structures or public safety.

Twenty Years On

Much of the valley is now owned by the Arkwright Society, bequeathed under the terms of Marjorie Mills’ will. The Society continues to develop its management plan for the valley: maintaining public access and retaining and improving the valley’s woodland and wetland habitats remain primary objectives. The area forms part of a conservation area and Lumsdale’s industrial heritage is now recognised to be of national importance. In due course the mills will be scheduled as Ancient Monuments.