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New Lanark World Heritage Centre

The huge complex of New Lanark Mills is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and a unique opportunity to learn more about the co-operative vision of Robert Owen and early philanthropists. 

The unique 18th century cotton mill complex at New Lanark, now restored and with UNESCO World Heritage status, is an important historic site within not just Scottish industrial history but also as an example of a working co-operative. 

Water provided power with the fast flowing Clyde (the Falls of Clyde are a distinctive waterfall on the New Lanark site still.

In its early days, New Lanark mills had a huge number of children working in them. In 1793 of the 1157 people working here, 800 of them were young children of both sex. Many of the children came from Glasgow and Edinburgh orphanages. Standards of hygiene were high within the context of the day - far from luxury living, it was a hard life, but bed straw was regularly change, rooms white washed, clothing washed regularly and so on, resulting in a very low mortality rate. A large number of workers were also Highland Immigrants, mostly from Caithness, Inverness and Argyleshire. Education was provided on-site for the children, even the under sixes which was practically unheard of in its day. By 1796, 16 teachers were employed at New Lanark.

New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site today blends the history of New Lanark Mills and Robert Owen biography with a plethora of services including hotels, conference facilities, wedding services, kids parties, wildlife centre, trails and walks along the Clyde taking in the sublime still Falls of Clyde, shopping with an Edinburgh Woollen Mill on-site, a large cafe/restaurant and a series of events including Victorian Fairs and Christmas Fairs running throughout the year. 

New Lanark Mills does well for its accessibility to children. The visitor centre here has won awards, particularly for its Millennium Experience where you're transported on a ride through a slick audio-visual presentation of the history of New Lanark, the workers here and Robert Owen presented by visual images of children who live in the future. It's an idea that works, as does the Annie McLeod Story, a mill girl ghost who appears on stage. 

As well as the Millennium Experience (the first part of the New Lanark tour), Robert Owen's house, millworkers' houses, Robert Owen's School and Annie McLeod's story, the Scottish Wildlife Trust Centre and path to the Falls of Clyde, a hotel and youth hostel and gift shop are all on-site.

New Lanark World Heritage Site
South Lanarkshire, Scotland ML11 9DB
Tel: +44 1555 661345 Fax: +44 1555 665738
Email: trust@newlanark.org

Please mention this web site when contacting - thank you.

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