Description
A talk by FCC member Anthony Laven
New Lanark is an example of an 18th-century mill village designed for industrial purposes, located near the Falls of Clyde in Scotland. In 1783, David Dale, a Scottish banker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, met Richard Arkwright at a dinner in Glasgow. The following day, they visited the Falls of Clyde to examine the potential of using the river’s power to drive a cotton mill. This visit resulted in a brief partnership to utilise Arkwright’s water-powered technology.
In 1786, four mills and worker housing were established at New Lanark. Dale provided social and educational conditions ahead of other areas in Britain. In 1796, his son-in-law, Robert Owen and his partners purchased New Lanark. Owen continued Dale’s initiatives and implemented various reforms aimed at improving business efficiency and the well-being of its residents, funding these changes through the profits from the cotton-spinning business—an early form of social enterprise.
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