History The cotton mills of New Lanark were built in 1786. David Dale was one of the self-made men of Glasgow who owned a house in Cambuslang, not far from the falls of Clyde, painted by numerous artists including Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). He built a dam upstream of New Lanark and the river was redirected to feed the machines of the factories. The water passed through first a tunnel, then driving lade open call. Until 1929 the latter was not replaced by a turbine waterwheel. A new turbine was installed later and is still used to supply electricity tourist areas of town. In 1799, Dale sold the mills to his son, Robert Owen, who went on his father’s philanthropic focus on the work at the factory and became so influential a socialist reformer. New Lanark, with its social programs, became a symbol of utopian socialism (also known as Owen).New Lanark had about 2,500 inhabitants, the majority coming from public houses put up for the poor (or poorhouse) in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Although the working conditions of the factories were by far the most difficult, Owen could not find them satisfactory and decided to improve the situation of workers. Particular attention was paid to the needs of 500 children living and working in factories, and in 1816 he opened the first school in Britain for young children. The quality of the residences of the village was progressively improved. In the mid-nineteenth century, an entire family could live in one room, but between this period and early twentieth century, families could gradually dispose of several rooms. But it was only after 1933 when the homes were equipped with sinks and cold water taps. During this same year, former communal toilets located on the outside toilets were replaced inside residential buildings.Since 1898, owners of the town provided free electricity to all residences, just enough to illuminate a small light bulb in each room. The current was cut at 22 every night except Saturday when the inhabitants benefited from an extraordinary hour. In 1955, New Lanark was connected to the national grid. The plants flourished on the trade front, but Owen’s partners complained about the additional expenses resulting from social programs. Rejecting a return to the old methods, Owen bought back parts of its partners. New Lanark was celebrated throughout Europe, and many aristocrats, statesmen and reformers visited factories. They were surprised by the discovery of a thriving industrial environment, healthy, having a workforce happy and energetic, all forming a viable commercial project.Owen’s philosophy ran counter to mainstream thinking of the time, but went on to show that there was no need for an industrial company to treat their workers without regard for profit. Owen was able to present visitors the excellent quality of the residences of the people and the comfort provided, as well as accounts by testing the profitability of the factories. Besides being linked to social reforms, these factories also symbolize the industrial revolution that took place in Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that fundamentally changed the face of the world. The poor state of New Lanark in 1983. In 1825, control of New Lanark became the Walker family. The Walkers were responsible for managing the town until 1881, when it was sold to Birkmyre and Sommerville. They retained ownership of the people first then themselves through the companies that were followed until the closure of factories in 1968. After the close, people began to leave town, and buildings deteriorated.In 1975 he founded the New Lanark Conservation Trust in order to prevent the demolition of the village. Today, most buildings have been restored and the town became a major tourist attraction.