New Lanark

[Ken Rennie]

This was the day before my walks in the hills and sunset at the bridges. We travelled via New Lanark a UNESCO world heritage site. https://www.newlanark.org/ . The mill was built here to take advantage of the water power provided by the nearby 80ft high falls on the river Clyde. Nowadays a hydro-electric power station diverts most of the water that should go over the falls. The power company used to advertise when they were servicing the power station and therefore allowing the full flow of the river over the falls but they seem to no longer do this. A few e-mails might get me the info. New Lanark was set up to give the mill workers a better life with good housing, schools and medical facilities. However the cotton was picked by slaves in the Americas so lots of people were still suffering.

phone shot

Bonnington Linn, the first set of falls has the full river flow but the water levels were low. The sun was just in completely the wrong position and the few clouds visible in the first shot disappeared.

Cora Linn is the main falls but I was shooting straight into the light on a blue sky day so not my normal waterfall shot.

It is possible to get down onto the river above the falls and I may return when conditions are better, they could hardly be worse. Ken

 

[AlanLichty]

Very nice set of takeaways for a day with bad lighting. Interesting backstory for this region to go along with the scenery. Are the big blocky buildings apartment like buildings or part of the mill operations?

I do like the falls along this river.

 

[Ken Rennie]

Very nice set of takeaways for a day with bad lighting. Interesting backstory for this region to go along with the scenery. Are the big blocky buildings apartment like buildings or part of the mill operations?

I do like the falls along this river.

Alan the first 3 story building was the school, no child under 12 was employed. The common practice elsewhere was to employ young children from 6yrs to crawl under working machinery to clean, as can be imagined accidents were frequent. Most of the rest of visible buildings are housing. The only mill building visible is the flat roofed building on the left beside the river. The major parts of the mill buildings stretch, out of sight, along the river. This was a large factory with more than 2,000 employees. As well as free nurseries and schools, the first free school in Great Britain, employees were charged 1/16th of their wages and had sick pay, medical care and a non profit co-operative shop where cheap fresh produce could be bought. The conditions were paternalistic by today's standards but compared to conditions in the "dark and satanic" mills in the North of England, New Lanark was something of a paradise. The mills were still producing into the 1960's before the inevitable decline in the face of cheaper products from Asia. Nowadays as well as a hotel on site and visitor attractions showing conditions in the 18thC many people now live in converted workers' houses. Ken

 

[Ben Egbert]

Neat series and thanks for the history.

 

[BlackRockArt]

This was the day before my walks in the hills and sunset at the bridges. We travelled via New Lanark a UNESCO world heritage site. https://www.newlanark.org/ . The mill was built here to take advantage of the water power provided by the nearby 80ft high falls on the river Clyde. Nowadays a hydro-electric power station diverts most of the water that should go over the falls. The power company used to advertise when they were servicing the power station and therefore allowing the full flow of the river over the falls but they seem to no longer do this. A few e-mails might get me the info. New Lanark was set up to give the mill workers a better life with good housing, schools and medical facilities. However the cotton was picked by slaves in the Americas so lots of people were still suffering.

phone shot
View attachment 49901

Bonnington Linn, the first set of falls has the full river flow but the water levels were low. The sun was just in completely the wrong position and the few clouds visible in the first shot disappeared.
View attachment 49902

Cora Linn is the main falls but I was shooting straight into the light on a blue sky day so not my normal waterfall shot.
View attachment 49903

View attachment 49904

It is possible to get down onto the river above the falls and I may return when conditions are better, they could hardly be worse. Ken

Ken, the last photo is really beautiful, love it.

Oliver

 

[JimFox]

What interesting history Ken. As almost barbaric as those conditions would seem to us today, back then they were almost heavenly. #2 and 4 are my favorites of the waterfalls. I like seeing that building next to the cascades in #2. The shooting conditions weren't the best for waterfalls, but I think you still came away with some really nice take aways.