BELPER HISTORY: The Mills

Belper is perhaps most famous for its place in the Industrial Revolution, and the presence of the imposing mills that once dominated the town and its people.

It was the mills of Jedediah Strutt, on land bought for him by William Slater, that transformed Belper and brought prosperity to the town.

The first mill, the South Mill, was built in 1776, the North Mill in 1786, and the West Mill, East Mill, Round Mill, and the last brick Mill (1912) followed in continuous expansion. (Almost all the Mills were demolished in the 1950's, and the remaining "new" North Mill is leased out as offices.)

This picture, produced for the English Sewing Company who built the East Mill in 1912, shows the extent and beauty of the mill site before it was demolished.