The Arkwright Society is a registered charity [1] engaged in the conservation of industrial monuments in Derbyshire, focusing on the water mills of Lumsdale Valley, Ashford, Cromford and Slinter Wood.
It is named after Richard Arkwright who founded the world's first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in Cromford in 1771.
The society bought the site of Sir Richard Arkwright's Cromford Mill in 1979 and have since restored its Grade 1 listed buildings.
[6] The Society also manages the Canal Warehouse at Cromford Wharf, having leased it since 1995, where 2 rooms are used as classrooms.
[7] The Society opened the Cromford Venture Centre in 1996 to provide accommodation for young people studying the industrial history of the region.