Growing Connections Through Flax In Derbyshire

As a contemporary community textile artist based in Derbyshire with a passion for flax (in fact, last week, meeting someone new, they said, 'You're the mad flax lady of Riddings!' guilty as charged), I'm exploring the deep links between textile heritage and creative practice today in my adventures and blog.

Deep into my second year of a flax-growing community project in Riddings, where I'm growing flax in my front garden, and the crop is coming along nicely, I've started investigating all things flax outside my little flax world. This trial is helping me perfect the whole process—growing, harvesting, processing, spinning, and eventually turning flax into a community textile piece, but I need more, I need to understand more about how this relates to where I live now. I am a product of and deeply connected to my sense of place, wherever I am. I believe in keeping craft and memories alive and rooted in place. What better place than Derbyshire, with its rich industrial textile past?

A Visit To Ladygrove Mill (Derbyshire): Where The Romping Lion Roared & The Contemporary Community Textile Artist Revelled

My adventures recently took me to Ladygrove Mill (also known as Two Dales Mill) near Two Dales, Derbyshire, UK. A quick search of Google had provided a list of former mills in our county, but this one seemed perfect for further investigation, as it had started as a cotton manufacturing site (my Horrocks' genes gave a little tingle) and had buildings still standing.

Originally built around 1785 as a cotton-spinning mill, it was transformed around 1790 to additionally process flax by the Dakeyne family after the original owners ran out of funds to complete the construction.

This historic flax mill is now home to offices and workshops, but it was once a hive of innovation, industry, and lots (and lots) of noise (because of the Romping Lion, which is discussed later.) I love a good mill, in fact, I feel like they are my spiritual home. I need little encouragement to visit one.

The second owners of the site were the Dakeyne family, who weren't just flax millers and cotton millers — they were inventors, a great combination when the site needed more power than anyone had ever figured out how to generate.

To tackle the energy challenge, a remarkable series of water dams and wheels were constructed to create the innovative water-driven engine known as the Romping Lion. This engine, using a high-pressure water system, was truly ahead of its time and efficiently powered both the flax and cotton processing machinery within the mill. Initially, I found the workings of this mechanism really difficult to understand, but I ended up picturing something that resembled Saturn with its rings to hold an image in my mind that was close to what it actually was.. It seems I wasn't alone in my struggle; even the Dakeynes faced challenges explaining it in their patent!

Reflecting on it now, I've gained a genuine appreciation for this incredible disc mechanism. The fact that even its creators found it difficult to articulate just how brilliant it was only adds to its mystique and wonder. This invention represents the spirit of innovation and curiosity that continues to inspire me today.

(SIDE NOTE: The casings for the Ladygrove Mill engineering were forged in Heage, which is another industrial hub in Derbyshire. I recently visited this area because I'm also interested in the British Hemp & Flax Development Co. Ltd., which was based there. I will share more about this company later, as I am finding it challenging to gather information, even though it was of national significance in World War II.)

With prior historical investigations swirling around my head, I hit the historical site of the Dakeynes' and their Romping Lion on a bright sunny day; the mill looked spectacular.

From Flax To Fabric: The Mill's Magic Process

Ladygrove Mill processed some local provision but mainly imported flax from Ireland, Belgium, and Russia. The various machines turned stiff long stalks holding continuous fibre within into soft thread. I have been replicating these steps by hand with my front garden crop, but just as a quick reminder, they are:

• Breaking – crushing stems to release fibres

• Scutching – removing woody bits

• Heckling – combing fibres smooth

• Spinning – twisting flax into thread

All of this was powered by the mill's Romping Lion disc engine, which earned its name from the loud, rumbling roar it made, like a lion charging through the mill! Hence why the mill was so loud.

Weaving My Own Legacy: From Lancashire To Derbyshire

My interest in textiles is both personal and professional. I studied industrial textile design and design management at UMIST, which gave me a deep appreciation for the science, art and history of textile manufacturing.

Even more meaningfully, I'm a descendant of the Horrockses—pioneering weavers from Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution. Growing up with that family heritage gave me a natural love for fabric, fibre, and innovation.

Now living and working in Derbyshire, I see clear connections between Lancashire's industrial past and the textile legacy right here in my local area. I'm keen to learn more. Through my contemporary community textile artist work, I hope I'm helping to revive traditional methods in a modern, sustainable, and accessible way. My belief is that it is vital to preserve our sense of history.

Why Textile Heritage Still Matters

As a contemporary community textile artist, I believe heritage isn't something to keep in a museum— it's something we can live, touch, grow, and make.

Places like Ladygrove Mill show us how inventive and resourceful textile workers and, most importantly, our forebears in both Lancashire and Derbyshire once were. My flax garden in Riddings connects those historic threads to the present, and invites others to get involved in making something meaningful with their hands. I'm so proud of my genetic and geographical history.

My aim is to unearth, share and keep these stories, skills and reasons to be proud alive - one thread at a time.