Cromford Mills Masterplan Presentation Purcell Miller Tritton & Parkin Heritage and Tourism
Understanding the Potential Audience - an essential pre-requisite • Catchment of up to 10m people within 90 minute drive time • Derbyshire attracts 3.65m staying visitors and 31.6m day visitors • Peak District 22m to the north : Derby 7m to the south • Heights of Abraham (c.200,000), Crich Tramway Village (c.90,000) plus Gulliver’s Kingdom and Matlock Bath on the doorstep… penetration up and down the valley clearly an issue • World Heritage Site attracts c.500,000 visitors (but no hard data) • Cromford is the largest ‘heritage’ attractor at c.100,000 visitors • Sizeable education market of 110,000 pupils in Derbyshire… but majority of WHS visitors are over 45 (30% over 60) • Traffic infrastructure seen to be more than adequate at present
Cromford Mills - a complex user profile • 330 members • Up to 100 volunteers (on rota basis) • Businesses based on site and visitors to businesses • Regular local day visitors
Cromford Mills - a complex user profile • Event visitors (including Discovery Days, Heritage Open Days) • Staying visitors in the area • Group visits (schools and adults) • Over 40 FT/PT staff • 100,000 visits is baseline
Cromford Mills - a mixed use site • Established heritage attraction within World Heritage Site • First water powered cotton spinning mill which successfully achieved mass production and arguably ‘changed the world’ … created by Sir Richard Arkwright • An events venue • A conference venue • Business venue : offices, retail, workshops and other opportunities ….. and soon to be a gateway to the World Heritage Site
A World Class Visitor Experience - the essential structure • Needs to be easy to get to… well signposted from major road network into attractive car parks • Creating a sense of arrival, welcome, orientation, toilets and retail • Visiting the gateway… and coming out inspired having peeped into Building 18
A World Class Visitor Experience - the essential structure • Taking a tour of the site, the village, the canal, church and Willesley Castle (or enjoying the facilities on site) • Attending an event • Having lunch or tea in one of the cafes, revisiting the shop • Departing (leaving with fond memories) eager to return and to tell friends and family
At present… our surveys say… • Most visitors have been before (and many come regularly) • Most come by car and travel over 10 miles • They come for the countryside and a walk… not necessarily the heritage • Tend to stay up to 2 hours • Most use the cafés and shop • 81% over 45 : 65% over 55 • Vast majority leave satisfied • Significant proportion would like to see improved interpretation and, ideally, a museum of some kind
However we need to… • Offer greater diversity of experience • Create facilities for family groups and young people • Increase the range and number of tours and extend the events programme • Provide a dedicated education service • Create a reason for visiting… the Gateway Centre does this and offers the opportunity to build on the successful features of the site
Building 17… the Gateway taking us to the next level • WHS gateway will set a new standard for the World Heritage Site • Will include innovative and interactive model of the WHS and a spectacular audio visual which will engage visitors and encourage them to go out and explore • The retail and information centre will provide visitors with the wherewithal to do so… publications, downloadable trails, tours, tickets etc • Introductory interpretation on Cromford Mill and internal view of Building 18
Building 17 : Concept Layout of Interpretation Proposals
Building 17 : Concept Visuals Of Interpretive Model
A Key Part of Our Proposals - the HLF Funded Activity Plan • This represents the non-capital elements which will bring the site alive • Offer extended tours programme, innovative all year round events and activities programme • Establishing a fully equipped education base in Gothic Warehouse with Education and Outreach Officer providing curricula related programmes and summer activities programme for young people • Stimulating greater community participation and involvement • Recruiting a larger team of volunteers, providing training, developing links with all the sites along the World Heritage Site • Offering heritage skills training as part of the main restoration contract working with training providers and providing taster days for the general public
But the Gateway Needs Additional Visitor Infrastructure It is estimated that the gateway will attract up to another 50,000 visits per annum which will build up over 3/4 years… this requires: • Enhanced car parking • Sense of arrival and welcome… first impressions so important • Visitor welcome centre with visitor orientation, toilets and retail • Improved and larger catering with restaurant and production kitchen • Serviced events area near the entrance • Improvements to the whole yard (completing circulation route from viewing platform) • Development of ground floor of Gothic Warehouse as education centre
Emphasis on Sustainable Transport • Whilst our projected increase in visitor numbers represents a small percentage of those who are already in the area we will… • Seek to maximise capacity of car parks on Mill Road (working with partners) • Prepare a Travel Plan • Encourage greater use of public transport (Derwent Valley Line, bus services and potential shuttle bus service) • Seek to traffic calm Mill Road
Attracting Compatible Uses - Completing the Vision • Essential to restore Building 18 to tell the Arkwright story • Potential to extend our conferencing and office accommodation • Real opportunity to become a wedding venue and develop the functions business related to Building 1 and the production kitchen • Believe there is a market for high quality leisure learning centre (similar to Dillington House Somerset) potentially with overnight accommodation
Attracting Compatible Uses - Completing the Vision • We want to establish craft studio/workshops to bring another element of life to the site • Experience elsewhere suggests that successful mill conversion involves mixed use development for commercial and knowledge based industries, cultural and tourism attractions with complementary retail and catering and (where appropriate) overnight accommodation • Our combined proposals offer a mixed use solution to the site which provides year round footfall and income in a world class setting with many similarities to New Lanark • Working with the WHS team and partners to devise sustainable transport solution • Now is our time… we cannot wait a further 30 years to complete the restoration!
Cromford Mills Masterplan Presentation Purcell Miller Tritton Parkin Heritage & Tourism
Site Analysis Total internal floor area : 6388sqm Total internal floor area currently vacant: 3757sqm Currently 58 % of the total floor area on site is vacant
Site Analysis – Existing Uses at Cromford Mills
Option D
Building 18
Building 18 - Internal views Photographic plan
Considering Possible Circulation Routes
1 Stair / Lift Core Option
2 Stair / Lift Core Option
Utilising the Existing Building or Reinstating the Upper Floors . . .
Building 1
Building 1 - Internal views Ground Floor – Arkwrights Attic Stone staircase Existing openings Privy and heating flues First floor Third floor
Building 1 - Proposals
Building 17 - World Heritage Site Gateway & Creative Cluster
Sketch Designs
Building 17 – Testing the scheme Single stair scheme – view to privy
Buildings 14, 15, 16
Buildings 14, 15, 16
Buildings 8, 9, 10 Building 8 Building 9 Building 10 Building 8 Building 9 Building 10
Buildings 8, 9, 10
Cromford Mills - What Will It Cost? • Building 1 £2.2million • Building 17 £3.2million • Building 18 £3.6million + £0.8million Interpretation • Building 8,9&10 £0.65million • Building 14,15&16 £1.2million • Building 24&25 £0.28million (The Manager’s House) • Building 27&28 £0.4million (The Wharf Cafe& Gothic Warehouse) • Minor Buildings £0.5million • Site & Car Parking £0.32million • The Aqueduct £0.5million • Total £13.65million
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