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Darley Abbey is a village on the outskirts of Derby, England. The village is located on the River Derwent and is associated with the world heritage site of Derwent Valley Mills.

History

Darley Abbey was originally the site of an Augustinian priory which was almost totally obliterated during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The only remaining building from that period is now a public house.

The Mill

The mill was built in 1783 by Thomas Evans, who hailed from a family with interests in lead iron and copper. Initially, he partnered with Richard Arkwright and Jedediah Strutt in the venture.

It was a six storey building powered by water with an enormous weir across the river. It was destroyed by fire in 1788 and rebuilt with sheets of tin nailed to the beams as protection.

Three story cottages

By 1830, Evans constructed a factory village of three-storey cottages across the river from the mill for his 500 employees. This village, along with its toll road, still exist today. The toll road serves as a short cut between the A6 and the Ripley Road. In 1970, the entire area was made into a conservation area, leading to it being named the Derwent Valley Mills heritage area.

Features

• Darley Park is a picturesque park featuring many different gardens and wildlife areas.
• Saint Benedict Catholic School is one of the largest schools in Derby with around 1500 pupils. The school dates back to 1986, but with several schools previously occupying the site including St Ralph Sherwin. Operating under the head teacher Christopher Reynolds OBE the school has got state of the art CCTV cameras.
• Saint Mary's Catholic School, which dates to 1814 and has since moved to a new building on three separate occasions, is located in Darley Abbey on Broadway.

• 1930s: Friends and neighbours on father's patch of Darley Abbey
• 1940s: Centaurs obey call to carry their ID cards ALWAYS...With a little help
• Darley Abbey - Tea and Tragedy at Folly Houses
• Derby
• Derby Central School for Boys
• Derby canal
• Derwent Valley Mills
• Following dad's footsteps into the cotton mill
• Getting the sack did war bride Win a favour
• House gives insight into how we lived
• Industrial Revolution
• Manufacturing: Bustling busy Derby ensured that business back in the dynamic 1940s was booming
• Men scraped a living from rags and bones
• Mile Ash Lane, Darley Abbey - then and now
• Mishra, Jyoti
• New Road, Darley Abbey - then and now
• Smith, Francis: Impressive legacy of a canny opportunist
• The true history of Friar Gate's Headless Cross
• Victorian: All change in Victoria's reign
• Women working in a man’s world at Ordnance Depots
• Wright, Joseph

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County:  Derbyshire

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