Derwent Valley Mills, England - Where it Began. The Birth of the Industrial Age (417/418)

Derwent Valley Mills, England - Where it Began. The Birth of the Industrial Age (417/418)

The old factories of the Derwent Valley have stood since the start of the Industrial Revolution. They have been in the service of many companies over the centuries - profit was their only raison d'être - and consequently they are well worn. The word "factory" did not exist then. The first factories were called mills, as they were driven by mill wheels. The poet William Blake famously referred to them as "satanic mills". They were opposed by many who saw them as a threat to their traditional way of life, and yet they prevailed. Now we are looking at the last of them with deep emotion. Their triumph was inevitable, their decline, the "end of industrial labor", probably was too. What's today's catchphrase? Industry 4.0? - Before we lift off, let's take a look back.