The ‘Museum Stair’, a tenement within Double Row, was in continuous occupation from the 1790’s to the 1970’s and has a remarkable collection of original artefacts and materials such as fireplaces, sinks, ‘set-in’ beds, wallpaper and linoleum. This rare example of early industrial workers’ housing is in a very poor, deteriorating condition and is exceptionally fragile and as such, we are currently undertaking the conservation of this site. Due to the buildings fragile interior, access will be restricted but, this project is funding an innovative and interactive exhibition exploring tenement life in New Lanark between 1881-1971.

The exhibition will highlight the importance of this unique, untouched tenement, known as “Museum Stair”. Join us as we uncover the stories of four families that lived within this shared tenement building between 1881 and 1971. Find out about their loved ones, belongings, lifestyles and aspirations. Discover how living conditions changed over the course of 90 years, as their housing modernised.

Phase 2A of the project started at the end of July 2017 which included the demarcation of the footprint, and interpretation, of Mantilla Row which was demolished in 1988 due to it being structurally unsafe. This project aims to increase the understanding of the village history and improve an unsightly gap in a relatively prominent position in the village. The building project is complete and the new interpretation will be launched in Spring 2020.

Phase 2B of the programme was to see the repair and consolidation of the front boundary wall of the church. This started in June 2018 and has now been completed.

2022 sees the completion of a year’s work carrying out external conservation repairs to Caithness Row and the Counting House. This brings the project full circle as Caithness Row was the first housing to be regenerated in the 1960s.

A range of heritage-based community activities are being delivered in parallel to the capital works. The House History Project focuses on the people that lived in New Lanark and is hoped will achieve updated Archive Material and the research has fed into our exhibitions and interpretations. The project has a strong emphasis on Traditional Building Skills training through a series of talks, demonstrations, workshops and an exhibition opening March 2020 that will look specifically at the traditional building skills involved in building and conserving New Lanark. Other events include Back in Time days, taking visitors through fun-filled days of activities from different time periods in New Lanark’s working history. .

Total costs for this large scale regeneration project are around £3.7 million. The two main funders are the National Heritage Lottery Fund through its Townscape Heritage (TH) programme and Historic Environment Scotland through its Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). Additional funding has been secured from the Renewable Energy Fund (South Lanarkshire Council), The Wolfson Foundation and New Lanark Trust.

This project has a number of phases and is expected to take around four years in total. Buildings works began in February 2016 and were due to complete summer 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic set the timescale back, and works will be completed August 25, 2022.

Please contact the project team on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Seven of the eight properties on Double Row were developed for sale as individual shells. These have now been sold and support the overall funding of the project while providing viable use of peviously derelict buildings.