Richard Arkwright - Memorials

Memorials

• Richard Arkwright's barber shop in Churchgate, Bolton was demolished early in the last century. There is a small plaque above the door of the building that replaced it, recording Arkwright's occupancy.
• An English Heritage blue plaque unveiled in 1984 commemorates Arkwright at 8 Adam Street in Charing Cross, London.
• Sir Richard Arkwright lived at Rock House in Cromford, opposite his original mill. In 1788 he purchased an estate from Florence Nightingale’s father, William, for £20,000 and set about building Willersley Castle for himself and his family. However just as the building was completed it was destroyed by fire, and Arkwright was forced to wait a further two years whilst it was rebuilt. He died aged 59 in 1792, never having lived in the castle, which was completed only after his death. Willersley Castle is now a hotel owned by the Christian Guild company.

• In the UK, the Arkwright Scholarships Trust was set up in 1991 in Sir Richard's memory to provide prestigious Scholarships to aspiring future leaders in engineering and design. By 2011, the Trust was awarding in the region of 300 Scholarships annually to support Scholars through their 'A' levels and Scottish Highers and to encourage Scholars into university engineering courses or high-quality higher apprenticeships.