UNIT 18 Y3/4 What was it like to live in Belper in the past? AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE PACK FOR TEACHERS Compiled by JANE FEATHERSTONE 2 INTRODUCTION A6 River Derwent MATLOCK BATH 1 3 CROMFORD 5 2 9 6 8 4 Cromford 7 Canal WHATSTANDWELL AMBERGATE A6 11 10 12 BELPER WORLD HERITAGE SITE MILFORD BUFFER ZONE 13 1 MASSON MILLS DUFFIELD 2 CROMFORD 3 WILLERSLEY CASTLE 4 CROMFORD MILL River Derwent 5 ST MARY’S CHURCH A6 6 CROMFORD CANAL LITTLE EATON 7 HIGH PEAK JUNCTION WORKSHOPS 8 LEAWOOD PUMPHOUSE 9 JOHN SMEDLEY’S MILL 10 BELPER RIVER GARDENS 11 STRUTT’S NORTH MILL 12 BELPER ALLESTREE 13 MILFORD DARLEY 14 ABBEY 14 DARLEY ABBEY 15 DARLEY PARK 15 16 THE SILK MILL – DERBY’S MUSEUM LITTLE CHESTER OF INDUSTRY AND HISTORY A6 16 17 DERBY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY 17 DERBY 3 UNIT 18 YEARS 3/4 What was it like to live in Belper in the past? ABOUT THE UNIT WHERE THE UNIT FITS IN ADAPTING THE UNIT FOR In this unit, children are introduced to an This local study can provide links A DIFFERENT AGE GROUP enquiry-based approach to a local study with the geographical study, Unit 6 Year 5 and 6 children could: of Belper, in Derbyshire. The focus of ‘investigating our local area’. In history the unit is the industrial settlement built this resource pack has links with the • Focus on the development of the by Jedediah Strutt and his successors units designed to investigate Victorian factory system or from 1788 and onwards for their Britain, such as Units 11 and 12 ‘What • on the mechanisation of the textile workforce. The workplace was the was it like for children living in Victorian industry or cotton mill, part of which, North Mill, Britain?’ and ‘how did life change in our • on the design of cotton mills or can be visited as part of a field trip. This locality in Victorian times?’, and could • the conservation of the built unit will give the children direct access lead on from a study of a famous person, environment to historical sources and is an excellent Jedediah Strutt, adapted from Unit 4, • use a more extensive range of chance to develop fieldwork and and in this way provide a local dimension sources research skills. The unit also provides to a study of a national event, the • present their findings using a wider an opportunity to consider citizenship Industrial Revolution. range of communication techniques. issues such as planning for change, conservation, local identity and social responsibility. PRIOR LEARNING VOCABULARY RESOURCES It is helpful if the In this unit, children will have • a range of old maps including Tithe children have: opportunities to use: Maps and Ordnance Survey maps • worked with sources • words associated with historical • copies of old photographs, drawings and paintings from the past such sources, e.g. census, street • help from the volunteers at Strutt’s North Mill, as artefacts, pictures directories, oral history, documents, Belper and the World Heritage Site Coordinator and buildings tithe maps, rent books, newspapers • local history books and leaflets • started to develop • words associated with historical • newspaper articles observation and research, e.g. decade, century • Strutt’s North Mill Visitor Centre and Museum recording skills • words associated with buildings, • asked and answered e.g. cotton mill, factory, industry, • documentary sources such as census returns, questions about industrial settlement, storey, sash parish records, rent books and sources to find window, terraced housing, street/trade directories information about back-to-back, estate, • English Heritage produce many valuable the past. cluster, chapel, pigsty, privy, teachers’ guides. The Teachers’ Guide to Local waterpower, cluster house. Studies will be very useful in this context. EXPECTATIONS At the end of this unit most children will: recognise buildings and features in Belper and know how the industrial settlement developed over time; demonstrate factual knowledge and understanding about the history of Belper, the families who lived and worked in the cotton mills and the Strutt family; know something of the living and working conditions of the area; ask and answer questions and make deductions about the area by using historical sources in a variety of ways some children will not recognise different buildings in Belper and know what they were used for have made so much in the past; understand that life was different in Belper in the past progress and will: some children will have describe and compare features of the industrial settlement of Belper; select and combine progressed further and will: information from several sources to find out about certain aspects of the past in the locality. 4 KEY STAGE TWO YEARS 5/6 LEARNING OBJECTIVES POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES LEARNING OUTCOMES POINTS TO NOTE CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN: What is Belper like today? • Identify features in the For this activity the industrial settlement of Belper has been selected. • That a map is a Make a visit to the industrial settlement of Belper. industrial settlement of The staff at Strutt’s North Mill, Belper, will lead the children on a site visit of the representation of an area Use the collection of photographs of buildings or features and ask the children, Belper on the large map mill and the settlement by arrangement. The settlement includes the mill, the as they are led on their walk, to spot the buildings and features as they go. Use school, various types of houses, the River Gardens and the Chapel. The pack • To recognise some • Use features of buildings a simplified map of the area and ask the children to mark on the map where includes photographs of all these different building types and features.Included features in the industrial to infer their use and they have seen the various buildings and features. Back in the classroom, in the pack is a variety of supporting material such as old photographs, maps and settlement of Belper, and who owned them prepare a large simplified map of the industrial settlement of Belper, with a census returns. to locate them on a map • Categorise buildings picture of Strutt’s North Mill at its centre. Mark on the street names. Ask as ‘old’ or ‘new’ • That an area may the children to put the photographs in their correct places on the map. If possible, lay the large map out flat on the floor or contain a mixture of old Use the photographs as a basis for an introductory discussion about on groups of tables rather than upright. and new buildings how the buildings are used and who uses them. Ask the children to sort the buildings into ‘old’ and ‘new’, giving reasons for their choice. Remember that some buildings are multi-period. Use this as an opportunity to discuss what is meant by old. • That there are different What can the buildings and other features in the industrial • Identify some features This work will focus on the workforce of Strutt’s North Mill, what their lives were sources of information that settlement of Belper tell us about the past? of a building through like and where they lived. It will also focus on Jedediah Strutt, the mill owner, and can tell us about the past Arrange a visit to Strutt’s North Mill. Ask the children to observe and observation and asking and his relationship with his workforce. The activities will develop around a storyline • To develop skills of accurate record information to help answer questions such as: what does it look answering questions about what life was like as a mill worker and sources will be introduced to help the observation and recording like? What is it made of? What is it used for now? What clues tell us • Record their observations children with their investigations. about how it was used in the past? Is there anything unusual about it? • To make deduction from by annotating drawings or What are the surroundings like? Why do you think it was built here? The staff at Strutt’s North Mill will take the children on a guided tour of the physical evidence by labelling and completing a prepared activity sheet industrial settlement and can arrange for a visit to see the interior of the Chapel. • To recognise that some The staff at Strutt’s North Mill will help lead a discussion about what sort of people • Write a short, accurate questions can be answered worked here, what kind of work they were doing and what the working conditions description of the place and by looking at buildings were like. They will be able to demonstrate machines that were used in the textile the people who worked there and others cannot industry. Ask the children to look at the size of the rooms and the construction and what they were doing of the building. Investigate the outside of the building and find the weirs, leats and the river that brought water power to the mill to work the machines. • Write a description about where people lived and what it Back in the classroom use reference materials to find out more about what it might was like to live and work in the have been like to work in this building. industrial settlement of Belper Arrange a visit to the industrial settlement of Belper. Identify the different house types that were built for the mill workforce. Find the Unitarian Chapel built by Jedediah Strutt. Study the school building. • To find information about the What do pictures and photographs tell us about the past? • Identify features of the It is helpful to use two or more pictures of the same place from different area from studying pictures Give the children pictures (paintings, sketches, photographs, postcards) showing area from pictures periods, including the present, so it would be useful to take a camera on a school • To question pictures as how the area has changed.