Doors Open Days

Join New Lanark for Doors Open Days this year for a textile-themed tour around the Counting House – a building that isn’t normally open to the public!

All staff and volunteers on site will be in historic costume.

The carding machine will be accessible to the public but they will be booked onto a free mini guided tour which will leave once an hour throughout the day.

The guide will also take them to see our historic spinning mule which is still in production spinning wool into yarn.

The first floor of the counting house will be open to the public but does not have disabled access.

A staff member/ volunteer will be on hand to deliver the history of the building as people arrive.

Please note that the rest of the site will require an entrance fee – please visit www.newlanark.org for more information.

The New Lanark World Heritage Site is an unrivalled combination of an 18th century industrial settlement set in the dramatic landscape of the Clyde gorge.

The site is associated with Robert Owen (1771 - 1858) and his influential social developments which created a model for industrial communities that spread across the world.  It promoted the establishment of progressive education, factory reform, humane working practices, co-operative activities and garden cities.  All of this was based around Richard Arkwright's (1732 - 1792) and David Dale's (1739 - 1806) revolutionary new factory system for textile production which harnessed the water power of the Clyde and established New Lanark. 

The New Lanark Trust was formed in 1974 as an independent registered charity to bring the mill village of New Lanark back to life after lying in a derelict state. Today, they are recognised as one of Scotland’s 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of ‘outstanding universal value’ and welcome over 300,000 visitors annually to the site.