Round The World and other travel

April 2015: New Lanark

New Lanark is a preserved and restored example of a planned textile mill village from the late 18th century. It is situated beside the Falls of Clyde, just outside the small market town of Lanark in the Central Belt of Scotland, and it provided a convenient spot in which to break my journey home from the Scottish Borders. Founded by David Dale and Richard Arkwright, the village and mill passed in the early 19th century to a partnership led by Dale's son-in-law, Welsh social reformer Robert Owen. Under the benevolent paternalism of Owen's management, mill workers saw a transformation of their conditions and their lives in general, with vastly improved housing and education provision being introduced, together with more enlightened working practices.

New Lanark was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, due to its place in social history and the extent to which the original buildings have survived.