The Old Cottage

The Old Cottage is a house located at Cromford Hill, dating partly from the 17th century and extended in the late 18th or early 19th century. It is constructed of roughly coursed rubble with Welsh slate and tiled roofs. The building has a plan of three units, with the two units on the left raised in height, likely by Richard Arkwright to accommodate his textile workers, while the unit on the right remains at its original height. There is a shorter parallel range at the rear. The house features one brick external end stack on the right and two ridge stacks made of red and black brick.

The front of the cottage has an irregular arrangement of three windows. On the first floor, there is one small blocked window on the extreme left, two differently sized 2-light windows with stone surrounds, and a 3-light window with rebated mullions and surround on the lower part. The ground floor has three large 2-light windows, with the two on the left flanking a doorway that likely represents the original entrance. Although the interior has not been inspected, it is understood to contain an early painted ceiling.