Belper

Belper's oldest building is St John's Chapel, built in 1250 and now a Heritage Centre where you can see a display of artefacts and photographs provided by the local History Society. However, it was not until the 1770's that the town developed to become the second largest in Derbyshire.

The small nail making community grew rapidly when Jedediah Strutt arrived in the town to build one of the first fireproof and iron frame buildings in the world. He and his descendants became great benefactors providing houses, churches, schools, the cemetery and even a swimming pool.

Belper is perhaps the true birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, as it was a Strutt apprentice, Samuel Slater, who migrated to America in 1790 to build that country's first successful water-powered cotton mill in 1793. He became regarded as the Father of American Industry. Slater's Mill at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has been preserved. The ingenuity of the North Mill in particular attracts visitors from all over the world, and the town is full of interest and surprises. Belper owes much to the textile revolution when Jedediah Strutt harnessed the river and built mills to produce cotton. This led to six