Thanks are extended to Historic England for funding this research framework, which has been guided throughout its development by a management team comprising Mark Suggitt of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, Dave Barrett (Derbyshire County Council), David Knight (Trent & Peak Archaeology, York Archaeological Trust) and Paddy O’Hara (Historic England). The management team would like to extend thanks to Tim Allen, Kath Buxton and Dan Miles of Historic England for help with setting up and executing this project, Gwen Wilson (DVMWHS) for administrative and logistical support, and to the other members of the World Heritage Site team, Adrian Farmer and Sukie Khaira, for their help and support during compilation of this framework.
Thanks are also due to Steering Group members for their advice and support, including Tim Allen, John Beswarick, Pauline Beswick, Sarah Chubb, Stephen Daniels, Paul Elliott, Adrian Farmer, Barry Joyce, Marilyn Palmer, Mary Smedley, Ken Smith, John Walker, Jonathan Wallis, Ros Westwood and Chris Wrigley. In addition, valuable information and advice has been provided by members of the project’s Specialist Panel; this comprised Steve Baker, John Barnatt, Paul Beattie, John Beckett, Louise Brennan, Garry Campion, Stanley Chapman, Christopher Charlton, David Crossley, Joan D’Arcy, Heather Eaton, Bob Faithorn, Celina Fox, Hannah Fox, Trevor Griffin, Rachael Hall, Clive Hart, Bernard Holden, David Hool, Chris King, Adam Menuge, Jane Middleton-Smith, Jason Mordan, Mike Nevell, Hugh Potter, Neil Robertson, Clare Rose, Roger Shelley, Patrick Strange, Angus Watson, Jim Williams, Ed Wilson and Audrey Winkler.
Work on the research framework commenced with several meetings of the World Heritage Site’s Research and Publications Panel,1 chaired by John Beswarick and including in its membership Paul Beattie, Christopher Charlton, Sarah Chubb, Heather Eaton, Paul Elliott, Bob Faithorn, Adrian Farmer, Bernard Holden, David Hool, Roger Shelley, Mary Smedley, Mark Suggitt and Angus Watson. Discussion of the priorities for future research generated a draft research agenda which was circulated to consultees prior to the Agenda Workshop that was convened in July 2013. Management team members wish to extend their thanks to the staff of Cromford Mills for their help in organising this event, and to the following for their participation: Jane Adams, Tim Allen, Joan Armitage, Steve Baker, Christine Ball, John Barnatt, Joe Battye, John Beswarick, Pauline Beswick, Sarah Chubb, Dawn Churchill, Stephen Daniels, Joan D’Arcy, Gordon Dexter, Neil Dye, Heather Eaton, Lee Elliott, Paul Elliott, Adrian Farmer, Celina Fox, John Gabb, Mark Hall, Clive Hart, Stephen Heathcote, Robin Holgate, Ian Jackson, Rick Jillings, Howard Jones, Barry Joyce, Sukie Khaira, Chris King, Suzanne Lilley, Joan Link, Kevin Mann, Adam Menuge, Jane Middleton-Smith, Dan Miles, Jason Mordan, Patrick Morriss, John Morrissey, Ian Neal, Mike Nevell, Jim Oribine, Matthew Pitt, Chris Pook, George Revill, Anna Rhodes, Philip Riden, Neil Robertson, John Rogers, Clare Rose, Sarah Skinner, Mary Smedley, Ken Smith, Patrick Strange, John Walker, Jonathan Wallis, Josie Walter, Ros Westwood, Jim Williams, Gwen Wilson, Audrey Winkler and Chris Wrigley.
It was agreed during the Agenda Workshop that topics relating specifically to the World Heritage Site’s built environment resource should be brought together under a single theme. A meeting of stakeholders with specialist knowledge of the Site’s built environment was arranged soon after the Workshop, with the specific aim of collating comments received at that event and generating a series of specific built environment topics. Thanks are due to Barry Joyce for arranging this meeting and to Doreen Buxton, Joan and John D’Arcy, Heather Eaton, Bernard Holden, David Hool, Adam Menuge and Patrick Strange for their contributions to this and subsequent discussions on this theme.
The Research Agenda derived from stakeholder liaison was circulated to all consultees for further comment, together with an invitation to four Strategy Workshops aimed at defining measures by which understanding of the Agenda Topics identified in the Agenda Workshop might be advanced. These were held at the Derby Silk Mill (Themes 1–3), Masson Mills (Themes 4–6), the University of Derby (Themes 7–9) and the Strutts Business and Community Centre in Belper (Themes 10–11) between March and May 2014. Thanks are extended to all of these organisations for help in organising the workshops, which benefited from the participation of Tim Allen, John Armitage, Rachel Atherton, Steve Baker, Dave Barrett, John Beswarick, Pauline Beswick, Boris Ceranic, Maxwell Craven, Dawn Churchill, Joan D’Arcy, Gordon Dexter, Heather Eaton, Paul Elliott, Julian Ellis, Georgina Endfield, Adrian Farmer, Hannah Fox, Maria Gibson, Robin Holgate, Andy Howard, Ian Jackson, Howard Jones, Barry Joyce, Carry van Lieshout, David Ling, Angela Mayson, Jane Middleton-Smith, Dan Miles, Phil Morris, John Morrissey, Mike Nevell, Paddy O’Hara, Marilyn Palmer, Martin Repton, John Rogers, Susanne Seymour, Mary Smedley, Joe Smith, Patrick Strange, Mark Suggitt, Renata Tyszczuk, Julia Udall, Lucy Veale, Jonathan Wallis, Ros Westwood, Nicola Whyte, Jim Williams, Gwen Wilson and Chris Wrigley.
The workshop discussions generated a research strategy comprising 55 Strategic Objectives, and special thanks are due to the following for devoting time to the writing of these: Jane Adams, Tim Allen, Pauline Beswick, Garry Campion, Stanley Chapman, Sarah Chubb, Paul Elliott, Georgina Endfield, Adrian Farmer, Trevor Griffin, Sherryllynne Haggerty, Rachael Hall, Robin Holgate, Andy Howard, Pat Hudson, Ian Jackson, Lowri Jones, Barry Joyce, Chris King, Ruth Larsen, Suzanne Lilley, Carry van Lieshout, Jane Middleton-Smith, Mike Nevell, Marilyn Palmer, George Revill, Susanne Seymour, Mary Smedley, Joe Smith, Patrick Strange, David Strange-Walker, Mark Suggitt, Renata Tyszczuk, Julia Udall, Lucy Veale, Jonathan Wallis, Ros Westwood, Jim Williams, Nicola Whyte and Chris Wrigley.2 Each of the Strategic Objective texts was circulated for comments from members of the Research and Publications Panel, Steering Group, project management team and theme reviewers. The last of these were selected on the basis of their appropriate specialist knowledge, and included Stephen Daniels (Agenda Theme 1); Tim Allen and Dave Barrett (Theme 2); Celina Fox (Theme 3); Patrick Strange (Theme 4); Marilyn Palmer (Theme 5); Stanley Chapman and Mark Suggitt (Theme 6); Adrian Farmer (Theme 7); Mike Nevell (Theme 8); Louise Brennan, Adam Menuge and Eilis Scott (Theme 9); Tim Allen and Jim Williams (Theme 10); and Chris Wrigley (Theme 11). Thanks are expressed to all of the above for composing and reviewing these texts and for assisting the editor during compilation of the chapter focusing upon the proposed research strategy.
Discussions at the Strategy Workshops highlighted the importance of disseminating widely information on accessible archive sources, and it was agreed by the Steering Group that it would be useful to summarise these in a separate chapter. A preliminary meeting was arranged to discuss the format and content of this chapter, and thanks are extended to Pauline Beswick, Sarah Chubb, Daniel Martin, Jane Middleton-Smith, Ros Westwood and Mark Young for their contributions to that discussion. It was decided to request short contributions from curators, archivists and others familiar with the contents of Derbyshire archives containing material of Derwent Valley interest. Thanks are due to Rosemary Annable, Robert Aram, Maria Barnes, Alan Bradwell, George Challenger, Sarah Chubb, Joan D’Arcy, Chris Deeth, Barbara Foster, Lucy Godfrey, Mark Higginson, Nichola Manning, Ray Marjoram, Daniel Martin, Jane Middleton-Smith, Hugh Potter, Laura Smith, Anita Spencer, James Towe, Laura Waters, Ros Westwood and Mark Young for their valuable contributions to that chapter.
In addition to those mentioned above, thanks are due to the following for information relating to the cultural heritage and environment of the Derwent Valley, comments on the research framework or assistance with illustrations: Anna Badcock, Lucy Bamford, Jim Brightman, Francesca Cigna, Peter Claughton, Chris Coombs, Gareth Davies, Glyn Davis, James Davis, Matt Edwards, Jeremy Fenn, Dave Fisher, Paul Flintoft, Annice Fuller, Mike Galer, lan Gifford, Alex Gilbert, Simon Gill, Georgina Greaves, Anna Harrison, Roy Hartle, Oliver Jessop, Steve Kemp, Adam Lathbury, Steve Malone, Sarah McLeod. Phil Newman, Tania Pells, John Rivers, Jasmine Rodgers, Mark Smith, Kath Stapley, Elizabeth Stoppard, Samantha Stein, Mike Susko, Nick Tomlinson, Susanna Wade-Martins, Ricky Terrington, Blaise Vyner, David Williams, Mary Wiltshire and Ann Wright. The bibliography was compiled with the assistance of Sue Peach and Tina Roushannafas. The latter also assisted with compilation and updating of the list of websites and other electronic resources. Copy editing and proof reading of the final text was carried out by Allison McLean. Thanks are also extended to Val Sisson of Derbyshire County Council for designing this publication, assisting with proof reading and providing much helpful advice during the design stage, and to the staff of the Buxton Press for expediting printing.
Fig.9.1 Promoting public interest and understanding: ‘open house’ at Long Row, Belper, during one of the World Heritage Site ‘Discovery Days’ (photograph: Sukie Khaira; Ó Derwent Valley Mills Partnership)
Thanks are extended finally to the many volunteers who have given freely of their time in events designed to encourage public participation and to develop understanding of the cultural heritage of the World Heritage Site. These contributions have enhanced significantly public understanding of the Site, which is a key overarching aim of the research strategy that is proposed in this document.
Notes
1 Since 2016, the Learning and Research Panel: Fig.1.8
2 See Chapter 4.1 for details of authorship
Fig. 9.2 The five-storey Building 17 at Cromford Mills, built between 1785 and 1790, provides a dramatic background for this projection of the history of the Derwent Valley Mills: one of many public events that, by enhancing public understanding and encouraging involvement, addresses directly the Vision, Mission and Aims of the World Heritage Site and one of the overarching aims of this research framework (Chapter 1.2; photograph ã Derwent Valley Mills Partnership)