New Lanark is an 18th Century Scottish Village containing beautifully restored houses, mills and other buildings and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Village is on the banks of the River Clyde, in a picturesque setting, and within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The Village is associated with the social reformer Robert Owen who co-owned and managed the mills from 1800 to 1824. During this time, New Lanark was a pioneer in ground-breaking social reforms including the world’s first infant school, the start of the co-operative movement and a worker’s health care fund.

The Story behind New Lanark

The Falls of Clyde

The River Clyde is often considered unattractive as it’s associated with shipbuilding and heavy industry in Glasgow. But upstream, the river passes through lush valleys. Just south of the town of Lanark are the Falls of Clyde which, in the 18^th century, was a popular beauty spot. The falls attracted visitors from all over the country and was often the subject of landscape paintings.

David Dale

David Dale

In 1784, the visitors to the Falls of Clyde included the cotton-spinning pioneer Richard Arkwright and Scottish industrialist David Dale. These men were not so much interested in the beauty of the falls but saw them as a source of power for a new cotton mill. Arkwright predicted that the area would become the “Manchester of Scotland”, a huge textile production city. Thankfully the city didn’t happen but these men bought the land and built a mill and a village containing houses for the workers. This village was known as New Lanark.

The first mill started operating in 1785. A year later, Dale dissolved the partnership with Arkwright, gaining sole control. By 1793, Dale had four mills in the village and employed 1157 workers; nearly 800 of these were children, the youngest being only 6 years old. Children were seen as ideal workers as they were small enough to crawl under the machines to clear cotton waste.

Many of the workers came from the Scottish Highlands, evicted from their lands in the “Clearances”. Housing was given to families with at least three children who were expected to work in the mills.

Working conditions were relatively good for the period and the children were given two hours of education each day.

Robert Owen

Robert Owen

In 1799, David Dale sold New Lanark Mills to his new son-in-law, Robert Owen and his partners. Owen, who was born in Newtown in Wales, had been involved in the cotton spinning industry in Manchester. He had become the manager of the Piccadilly Mill when only 21 years old. Owen took control of New Lanark on 1^st January 1800.

Owen was interested in improving the lot of his workers and with a change in business partners a few years after taking control at New Lanark, he was able to able to make some big changes.

It was the practice in most mills that workers were paid in part with tokens which could only be used in company shops to buy provisions. This merchandize was often of poor quality and sold at inflated prices. Owen changed this at New Lanark so that workers were paid in cash and the shop sold good quality products that were bought at wholesale prices with a small margin added. The profits were then invested into the village institutions.

Owen’s shop became the basis of the co-operative movement in Britain. Incidentally, a statue of Robert Owen stands outside the Co-operative Bank in Manchester.

Robert Owen introduced the world’s first infant school in New Lanark. Education was provided for all children in the village until they were at least 10 years old. Children would now not work in the mills until they were 10. This was radical for the day and was initially unpopular with parents as it cut off a source of income. However, it did allow mothers of very young children to work while the kids were attending infant school.

Owen introduced a “Sick Fund” with workers contributing a 60^th of their wages as well as a worker’s savings bank. The was revolutionary for the early 19^th century!

New Harmony, Indiana

Robert Owen was interested in pursuing more radical ideas in worker self sufficiency and in 1824, he sold his share in New Lanark and with his sons and daughter moved to the United States. Here he founded the community of New Harmony, Indiana.

The New Harmony experiment didn’t work out as expected and Owen lost most of his investment. He returned to England and became involved in the early Trades Union movement. His children remained in the US and his eldest son, Robert Dale Owen became a Democrat Congressman who was probably best known for introducing the bill that founded the Smithsonian Institution.

New Lanark after Robert Owen

The mills at New Lanark continued in production until the 1960s. There were then some unsuccessful attempts to find new industrial uses for the mill buildings, but nothing worked out. The main issue was the location of the site. It may have been ideal for water power, but road access for large trucks was very difficult.

Eventually, many of the buildings were compulsory purchased by the local authorities and funding found for the restoration and preservation of this important historical site. In 2001, New Lanark became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here’s what you need to know if you visit New Lanark.

This post assumes that you will be visiting New Lanark after things return to some sort of normal following the pandemic. If you visit sooner, please check whether the attractions, hotels, pubs etc. are open before you arrive and whether or not you need to book tickets in advance.

Getting There

By car; New Lanark is situated just outside the south side of Lanark, a market town 25 miles south east of Glasgow and 35 miles south west of Edinburgh. It can be reached via the M74 motorway (junctions 7 or 12) and A70/A72.

By public transport; there are regular trains operated by Scotrail from Glasgow Central to Lanark. The local 135 bus runs from Lanark town to New Lanark village. You can also check the Traveline Scotland website for details and times.

What to see at New Lanark

A Passport Ticket bought at the New Lanark Visitor Centre gives you a place on a guided tour and includes these attractions:

• The Annie McLeod Experience Ride; this ride “takes you back in time to 1820” to explore what life was like for mill workers, told through the eyes of a child worker.
• At the end of the ride, you find yourself in the Roof Garden which is on top of Mill No. 2. From here there are very pleasant views of the River Clyde and surrounding countryside.
• Millworkers houses; two of the original houses in the village have been reconstructed to show what the living conditions were like in the 1820s and the 1930s.
• Robert Owen’s house; this house was constructed for Owen when he took control of the mill in 1800. It contains his original desk and other period furniture.
• The world’s first infant school; the Historic Classroom shows what it was like to go to Robert Owen’s school in the early 1800s
• The Village Store; this is where the co-operative movement was born
• A working mill; there is still working textile machinery in the mill that you can watch in production.

There is also a café and the Mill Shop where you can buy products made from New Lanark wool and textiles as well as other items.

Where to stay

New Lanark Mill Hotel

We recommend the New Lanark Mill Hotel in the village. The hotel has been converted from the original mill and is very comfortable. The hotel also manages some self-catering cottages in the village. Check the website for details.

If you are interested in early industrial history, then New Lanark Mills is well worth a visit. This is a near complete 18^th century village and mill complex. The buildings have been beautifully restored and are in a stunning location next to the Falls of Clyde.

Enjoy your visit!