Belper Through Time

Belper Through Time contains 180 photographs of Belper, of which 90 are old photographs. These photographs are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. From the late 18th century, the Industrial Age transformed Belper from a small village of nail-makers to a busy and successful town. Thanks to the Strutt family, the town was the first in the world to have water-powered cotton mills, and the hundreds of people that flocked to work in those mills were provided with homes, chapels, schools and much more. In the 21st century, the UK cotton spinning industry has moved abroad, but some of Belper's historic mills and much of the community which surrounded them have survived. The mills are partly in re-use, and the community - both the buildings and the people who inhabit and use them - has changed in many ways to adapt and survive industrial and economic changes, but the town remains unique. Since Belper was inscribed on to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Derwent Valley Mills Site in 2001, the drive to save, enhance and restore the historic town has never been greater. By comparing views from years past, this book helps to define what has survived, what has been lost, and what we can do to ensure Belper remains the unique historic community it is today.