Rockwood Pigments Factory is located under High Tor cliffs in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. The factory is now empty and faces an uncertain future. It is known as the High Tor Works.
Originally called Viaton, it was originally established for mining iron ore but after this was worked out in 1850 the waterwheel was used to grind white lead. At the end of the century, the Via Gellia Colour Company took over, installing a turbine to drive four pairs of Peak stones which for the next twenty years ground iron oxide. Then bone char, the waste product from sugar refining, was ground until the late 1960s. Later the site was used for blending pre-ground chemically-produced colour products for use in paving slabs and other cement products. Finally, the site became part of the Rockwood group.
Originally called Viaton, it was originally established for mining iron ore but after this was worked out in 1850 the waterwheel was used to grind white lead. At the end of the century, the Via Gellia Colour Company took over, installing a turbine to drive four pairs of Peak stones which for the next twenty years ground iron oxide. Then bone char, the waste product from sugar refining, was ground until the late 1960s. Later the site was used for blending pre-ground chemically-produced colour products for use in paving slabs and other cement products. Finally, the site became part of the Rockwood group.
