Mr Taylor's Silk Mill, Derby

Originally known as Lombe's mill, Derby Silk Mill, was established in 1719 by brothers, John and Thomas Lombe, and built by George Sorocold after industrial espionage into Italian silk throwing techniques. The brothers replicated what they saw in Derby, along the River Derwent. It stopped producing silk in 1908, following the decline in the industry. The building was used by a chemist and the electricity board until it was adapted for use as Derby’s Industrial Museum (now known as the Museum of Making) in 1974.

This early 19th century image was replicated in the Derbyshire volume of Daniel & Samuel Lysons' Magna Britannia series, produced in the mid-1800s. It shows the mill as it would have been at the height of its production.