Maps — The town of Willington in 1780, 1860 and 2000 (three maps)

The three maps show how the town of Willington developed over 220 years, in 1780, 1860 and 2000.

Overall, the town passed through three distinct eras — a small farming village, then a railway-age mill town, and finally a modern service centre — while the river and the old water mill site remained fixed points throughout.

In 1780 Willington was tiny: a village of about twelve homes with a church, an area of farmland, and a water mill beside the river, which people crossed at a simple ford. By 1860 industry had transformed the town. A steam-powered cotton mill had been built, rows of terraced housing had replaced the scattered cottages, and a railway with its own station cut across the town, while a stone bridge replaced the ford. Notably, the old mill still stood.

By 2000 the industry had gone in its turn. The cotton mill had disappeared, and a shopping centre and business park occupied the northern side of town, surrounded by suburban housing. The railway line had been converted into the main road, the bridge had been widened for cars, and a riverside park had been laid out. The one survivor of 1780 was the water mill — preserved as a museum.