 | Belper, a small, beautiful market town, located in Derbyshire's Derwent Valley, is famous for many reasons. Back in 1740 Belper's population was around just 500, but by the 1830s it had gone up to around 8,000 due to the building of water-powered cotton mills. These were built by Jedediah Strutt and family. By 1792 there were five mills in Belper: the only one remaining out of the original mills: the North Mill, is today home to the Derwent Valley Visitors Centre. Here you can find exhibitions showing the development of the factory community during the 18th and 19th centuries. You can see examples of Crompton's Mule, Hargreave's Spinning Jenny and Arkwright's Water Frame. See also stocking-making machines and see examples of the art of chevening, which is the decoration, by hand, of stockings.
For railway enthusiasts there is a treat in Belper: the railway runs through a deep, mile-long cutting, which is crossed by 10 bridges. This railway section was built in 1838 by George Stevenson and many considered it a masterpiece of engineering.
Today Belper's population is around 20,000 and is growing. The town is twinned with Pawtuchet, Rhode Island, USA. The link between the two places is Belper-born Samuel Slater. Samuel was apprenticed to Jedediah Strutt and became the founder of the US cotton industry.
There was quite a furore back in 2001 and Belper hit the national and international news when its residents dismissed a gift from its twin US town Pawtucket of a large Mr Potato Head fibreglass model, saying it was “ugly”.
The Strutts gave generously to the town: among their bequests was the Herbert Strutt Grammar School: now a primary school. Its students have included the actors Timothy Dalton and Alan Bates.
Another famous name the town is known for is J.W. Thornton: the well known chocolate maker moved to the town after the Second World War, bringing much needed employment to the area at that time.
Ross Davenport, the Belper-born swimmer, also helped to raise the town's profile at the Commonwealth Games in 2006. The swimmer won two gold medals and a silver. Other well known Belper residents include Labour politician George Brown; children's writer Monica Edwards; former Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, who played Maxine Peacock, and movie actress Suzy Kendall. |
