A historic mill on the edge of Wirksworth is home to a brand new art space. Catherine Roth meets Olivia Punnett, award-winning artist and director of Haarlem Artspace, to find out more.
RICHARD ARKWRIGHT purchased the site in 1777 where he proceeded to build a cotton spinning mill. This was later converted to tape weaving between 1813 and 1815 where the legally binding red tape was produced and when it became known as Haarlem Mill. Today this history of enterprise continues with Haarlem Mill being home to a variety of small businesses. One of these, Haarlem Artspace, occupies part of the four-storey mill building. It is a not-for-profit venture providing self-contained studios and exhibition space for both emerging and established artists and also offers benefits for the wider community…