More than 150 dignitaries and invited guests from across the county were in attendance for the opening of a new managed workspace scheme within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site in Cromford.
The Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, William Tucker, carried out the official opening of Cromford Creative, an exciting £6.7m project aimed at introducing a viable new use for one of the historic Grade I buildings at Cromford Mills.
The building, which has been in disrepair for three decades, has undergone ground-breaking restoration work to bring it back to public use, made possible by funds raised by the Arkwright Society, a charity devoted to restoring historic buildings in Cromford.
Cromford Creative comprises of 8,000 sq ft of managed workspace office units on the four upper floors of a former warehouse, previously known as ‘Building 17.’ The 17 flexible workspaces range in size from a 177 sq ft (16.5 sq m) to 1,312 sq ft (122sq m) and are available as single or multi-office lets or as a whole floor.
The accommodation boasts excellent connectivity. Tenants will also be able to take advantage of the other services and facilities available at Cromford Mills, including conferencing and meeting rooms, a café and a restaurant.
The event also marked the official opening of a new visitor gateway to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The new state-of-the-art Gateway information hub is housed on the ground floor of the Cromford Creative building.
Visitors can find out what there is to see and do at each of the 17 designated sites within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and receive a personal welcome from Sir Richard Arkwright himself, via the new ‘Arkwright Experience’ attraction.
Commenting on the official launch of Cromford Creative and the new Gateway Centre, Sarah McLeod, chief executive of the Arkwright Society, said:
“Our official launch event was the culmination of years of hard work by so many people and the reaction we received from guests has been fantastic.
“Building 17 is one of the most important heritage assets on the whole of the Cromford Mills site and we are delighted that it has been restored to its former glory, taking us another step towards our long term aim of creating a sustainable future for the Cromford Mills.
“The restored Building 17 will continue the sense of entrepreneurism, innovation and creativity that characterised Arkwright’s mills.
“Over the past few years, there has been an increased awareness from a range of businesses who are looking at the Derwent Valley Mills as a corridor for increased business activity. It will also create new job opportunities and help boost the local economy,” added Sarah.
Speaking at the opening, Lord Lieutenant William Tucker, said:
“It gives me enormous pleasure and privilege to be able to perform the official opening of this exciting development, which is a hugely important development for the county.
“On behalf of the people of Derbyshire, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone whose passion and dedication over the past four to five years has brought this project to a successful conclusion. Well done and many thanks.”
Russell Rigby, managing director of commercial property specialists Rigby & Co, who are agents for Cromford Creative, added:
“The character accommodation at Cromford Creative will meet the increasing demand from SMEs who are looking for an alternative to city centre-based working and enable them to draw inspiration from a stunning location in the heart of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site.
“Cromford Creative will provide an attractive base for businesses to grow and we are already experiencing a high level of demand from single entrepreneurs, micro-businesses, and SMEs who are keen to take advantage of this unique opportunity to be located in what has to be one of the finest working environments in the Midlands.”
Cromford Creative represents the first phase of a stunning £50m regeneration and restoration masterplan for Cromford Mills by the Arkwright Society. This will transform Cromford Mills into a multi-use sustainable heritage, cultural, tourism and hospitality business and enterprise destination.
Major funding partners for the Cromford Creative project include ERDF, HLF and The Architectural Heritage Fund. Donations also include £500,000 from The Monument Trust to transform the building which is on English Heritage’s at-risk register.
Major funding partners for the project to transform the Gateway building, include a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £4 million and a loan of £450,000 by the Architectural Heritage Fund. Other charitable donors include The Monument Trust, AIM Biffa Award National Heritage Landmarks Partnership Scheme, The Garfield Weston Foundation, J P Getty Jr Charitable Trust, Headley Trust, Sylvia Waddilove Foundation, and The Wolfson Foundation.
