Belper: Group at axed mill museum confirms site tour deal

Strutt's North Mill is part of a larger complex which will be part of an ongoing heritage offering

A Derbyshire heritage group says a deal means it can "retain a presence" at a site where it had a museum.

Strutt's North Mill, in Belper, which produced cotton thread from 1804, is Grade I listed and forms part of the Derwent Mills World Heritage Site.

The museum closed in October after council grants were withdrawn.

Belper North Mill Trust confirmed it will have a new base on the site and will offer tours of the area from April.

The trust said it had agreed a lease on a building next to the former museum which will give volunteers a base on the site.

It also said the deal had preserved public access to the Belper Mills complex and the basement of Strutt's Mill itself.

The museum has shut and the future of any potential visitor centre is uncertain

The organisation is now working with the Arkwright Society to ensure the most important items from the museum collection will be on public display at Cromford Mills.

The complex is currently subject to a planning application to convert it to residential, business and leisure use.

A spokesperson for the trust said: "The timeline on any redevelopment of the Belper Mills site is uncertain and is linked to the resolution of the current planning application.

"It is difficult to foresee any material development of the heritage offer within the next five years.

"However, the trust has earmarked reserves towards match-funding heritage-related external funding grants on the site - if that opportunity should arise."