New Lanark
"There is but one mode by which man can possess in perpetuity all the happiness which his nature is capable of enjoying, - that is by the union and co-operation of all for the benefit of each."
Robert Owen's words, written in 1826, express the vision of a co-operative model of social organisation which was embodied in the planned community of New Lanark through benevolent working practices, a coherent system of child education and planned architectural development. The mills at New Lanark harnessed the massive energy of the nearby Falls of Clyde to power the mass-production of textiles and they became one of the hotbeds of the Industrial Revolution in Scotland in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
New Lanark was thus a 'model' village for its day in both social and economic terms, and its subsequent history, decline and redevelopment under the auspices of the New Lanark Conservation Trust have also made it a model of heritage conservation, eventually earning it the designation of a World Heritage Site in 2001.
RCAHMS surveyed the Falls of Clyde area in 2004 and published its results as part of its broadsheet series. This earlier publication has now been complemented by a more detailed review of the buildings of the New Lanark complex itself, through a new broadsheet published in association with New Lanark Conservation Trust and the Friends of New Lanark. This offers an overview of the history of the site and gives a detailed breakdown of the 20 buildings which are contained within it, including the two illustrated here, the School for Children (1817) and the Counting House (1810) and Caithness Row (1790), named after the many Highlanders who came South to work in the community.
The New Lanark broadsheet is priced £1.50. Further details on ordering this title, and many more, are available on the publications page of our website.