Listed Building: THE ARKWRIGHT HOUSES (1248131)

1390 NORTH STREET CROMFORD The Arkwright Houses Nos 14-29 (consec) SK 2956 668/1/16C 21.1.64 II* Row of 16 houses. Built 1776-7 by Richard Arkwright to accommodate textile workers. Coursed rubble; tiled roofs. Brick ridge stacks. This and the row opposite (nos 1-11) are the first of the workers' houses erected by Arkwright and mark an important stage in the development of the textile industry and workers' housing in that they provided both accommodation for the workers at his new Cromford Mill and workshop space on the second floor. The unnumbered house, although part of the row, is double fronted and had no workshop and was probably the manager's house. Originally single unit with services to rear (the earliest services appear to have been small gabled wings to the rear: see gable scars). 3 storeys, two domestic and the top floor for workshops which it is understood extended uninterrupted along the entire floor of the row. Side stairs against end and party walls behind and to one side of the front entrance; 2-bay front elevations, the entrance bay with no windows above to 1st floor; the other with 2-light stone mullioned windows to ground and 1st floor and 4-light windows to 2nd (workshop) floor. Doorways with substantial rectangular lintels and crude capitals and bases to imposts, all tooled. The windows originally had one fixed and leaded casement and one sliding sash. Moulded stone eaves cornice extends along entire length of row. The full set of 4-light workshop windows survives to nos 15, 16, 19, 24, 25 and 26 only, all others have 2 lights blocked; all 2nd-floor windows with casements, the complete sets with leaded lights. First and ground floor windows either with casements or with the renewed original scheme of fixed casement and sash. Rear of nos 22-27 with 1;later storeyed outshuts with 2-light windows of varying sizes, generally with C20 casements; 2 large brick stacks break lean-to roof; these outshuts post-date the 1841 Tithe Map. Listing NGR: SK2942656742