The Mill Lakes
These 20th Century lakes follow the course of the River Leen which fed the Robinsons cotton mills, on which these Leen Valley mills depended for their power, along with former colliery ponds.
The Robinsons were very vulnerable to interruption in water supply as the river was quite small. After a dispute, in the 1700's, the fifth Lord Byron, who controlled the source of the River Leen, which flows from the Robin Hood Hills just north of the Newstead Abbey estate, dammed the river on his property but an injunction against him forced him to give way.
