World of the Workers; Strutt Community Tour - including access to a Cluster House

The Community, built from 1785 onwards to house the workers in the Strutt family cotton spinning mills is considered to be the oldest surviving textile workers’ community in England – in Belper, the oldest cotton spinning town in the world. It is just a short walk to the mills, a route that the workers would have taken six days a week for their 12-hour working day. 

Investigate the Short Rows, walk up Long Row hearing the stories of the Community and its residents. See for yourself why Long Row is once seen and never forgotten. Why did the Strutt family need to build so many houses? What did the children do? What did their mothers and fathers do? Visit the Unitarian Chapel learning about Jedediah Strutt, the founder of the Strutt family cotton empire and the role that Unitarianism played in the Industrial Revolution. Nailers, framework knitters, cheviners and navvies all feature in the history of the Community. Hear what part they played in the growth of Belper and how the Strutts transformed the lives of their mill workers and the nailing hamlet of Belper into a thriving hub of the emerging cotton textile industry.

Explains the impact of slavery on the Industrial Revolution and in relation to Belper + the development of the Railways.

Includes a visit to the unique Cluster House, courtesy of the present owner.

Please note: some streets in this older part of Belper are steep and uneven, so this walk is not suitable for wheelchairs. The tour lasts about 2 hours.

2026 dates: 17th May, 23rd August at 2pm.