NEW LANARK WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, the village of New Lanark was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who established a cotton mill and housing there. By 1799, the site had already become Scotland's largest cotton producer and one of the largest industrial groups in the world, with 2000 employees. He relied on the river Clyde to provide his energy. In 1800, Robert Owen, Dale's stepson, became its manager. This Welsh philanthropist was greatly influenced by the reformist movements and was one of the great defenders of Utopian Socialism, of which Owenism is a current. He established a very advanced social model in New Lanark to help the 2,500 people who lived there. He took special care of the children, for whom he opened the first nursery school in Britain in 1817. The great economic success of New Lanark helped to make it a model throughout Europe, so many thinkers and decision-makers went there to see that another reality was possible. In 1825, the Walker family took control of production. Starting in 1881, several businesses followed one another until the plant closed down in 1968, as it was no longer profitable. Today, admission gives access to the visitor centre, which traces the epic history of the village, Owen's house, the workers' houses in the 1820s and 1930s, the school and the workshops. There is also a period shop and a café.