2021 Preview

2021 is going to be a special year for Derwent Valley  Mills World Heritage Site, as we have so many anniversaries to celebrate.

It’s the 20th anniversary of our Inscription onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List – that means this wonderful place is one that is  recognised as having global significance to humankind. If you want to find out why, you can watch our Understanding Attributes videos in Discovery Day 1. Look out for the many special events which will celebrate this achievement throughout the year.

It is also 300 years since the Lombe brothers built the Silk Mill in Derby, and all being well, the Silk Mill will be reopening as The Museum of Making.

It is also 250 years since Richard Arkwright chose Cromford to build his first factory to produce cotton on a mass scale. Here is Michael from Cromford introducing the celebrations that will take place at Cromford.

The Machinery

A preview of the installation planned in 2021 called The Machinery. Find out more about what to expect when this installation comes to the Derwent Valley next year.

Derwent Delights 2021

Derwent Delights are beautifully hand-crafted, sculptural boxes which contain various textile, poetry and digital treasures created by artists with local communities, to celebrate the uniqueness of the World Heritage Site. The Great Place Scheme project was due to launch this July and will now be something to look forward to in 2021. Here’s a quick taster of what has happened so far:

Darley Abbey Day and Constella Opera Ballet

Constella Opera Ballet was due to join Darley Abbey Day this June. The event is now rescheduled for May 2021, and we can look forward to a day including dance, music and art working within the government Covid-19 guidelines in place at that time. Here’s a quick taster of things to come!

Willersley Castle: The London Mothers

This is a short promotional film for ‘The London Mothers’, an arts commission for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Great Place Scheme. Artist Heidi Luker has researched the history of Willersley Castle’s role as a maternity hospital during the Second World War. She has created a short play which will be performed in early 2021.

Derwent Valley Images

Photographers Ashley Franklin and Ian Daisley are launching their new book, in association with the Arkwright Society in Autumn 2021, to mark the anniversaries in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

Find out more about their project here: www.derwentvalleyimages.co.uk