The original mill was constructed by Sir Richard Arkwright in 1785, and still stands as the part of the mill closest to the river, but the magnificent main building was erected in 1815 by Arkwright's agent, William Newton, a local character whom Anna Seward dubbed 'The Minstrel of the Peak'. The mill brought work and prosperity to the area and the mill owners were responsible for the construction of most of the village, starting with the apprentices' cottages just behind the mill building, which predate the main building by several years.
