page_title: Darley Abbey
section_title: Mills
hierarchical_section_title: Darley Abbey / History / Mills
caption_attribution_description: English: Darley Abbey - former St Matthews School - Brick Row frontage
context_page_description: Darley Abbey is a former historic mill village, now a suburb of the city of Derby, England. It is located approximately 1.4 miles north of the city centre, on the west bank of the River Derwent, and forms part of the Darley ward along with Little Chester and the West End. The settlement dates back to the medieval era, when it was the site of an Augustinian monastery. In the 18th century, the Evans family developed their planned industrial mill village in the area; Darley Abbey is now part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
  The area's population is counted as part of Darley Ward.
context_section_description: The industrial roots of Darley Abbey date back to the monastic period. After then, 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 Derwent.
  The land on the opposite bank was acquired by Thomas Evans for his cotton mills in 1778.
  These mills later became known as the ‘Boar’s Head Mills’ (the Evans family crest was a Boar's Head) and were constructed between 1782 and 1830.  The Boar’s Head Mills specialised in quality thread for sewing,
  embroidery and haberdashery. 
  The site contains five main mills and a comprehensive range of ancillary structures, including warehouses, offices, stables, bobbin shops and domestic buildings.  The largest of the buildings is 6-storeys high.  The oldest building, Long Mill, has an attic floor which was (until 1819) used as a school room where children employed at the mill received a basic education.
  The mills were originally water-powered. The weirs on the River Derwent created the head of water which powered the wheels that drove the machinery in the mill buildings. Eventually, steam power was used to supplement the water power.
  The Evans’ involvement in the cotton mills ceased with the death of Walter Evans II in 1903.  In 1905858
  , 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. Textile use ceased in 1970. In 1969 the sale of the mills for other uses began.  Today, Darley Abbey Mills is home to a variety of engineering and light industrial businesses.
caption: St Matthew's School
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