Information on Derby

Derby is compact city at the centre of England, full of history, art and – reputedly – ghosts. Along with the traditional appeals of a market town – 2004 is the 850th anniversary of its market – it boasts easy accessibility to the beautiful uplands of the Peak District National Park -- second most visited National Park in the world after Japan’s Mount Fuji. The surrounding countryside is also home to some of the most distinguished of English country houses.

The city is important historically because of its links with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution: Derby had the first-ever factory in England, the Silk Mill, built in 1702. Now that is Derby Industrial Museum, and part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site - a 15-mile stretch along the River Derwent between Derby and Matlock Bath -- where water power was first harnessed successfully for textile manufacture. The historic mills, canals and museums are set in a wooded, hilly landscape, as noteworthy for its nature and views as for its industrial past.

Another Derby first is its Arboretum, which in 1840 became the first public park in England. But dominating the skyline is the cathedral. Best known for its medieval tower (the second highest in England) with its views over three counties, and for the oldest ring of 10 bells in the world, the elegant, light-filled cathedral is charming. A Cathedral Visitor Centre, opening in September in Irongate, outlines key events in over a thousand years of history - the Cathedral site has been a place of worship since 943 AD - and host guided tours, including an atmospheric evening “18th Century Experience” tour. Nearby, the 14th century Chapel of St Mary on the Bridge, one of only four bridge chapels in England, is open to the public most weekends.

The Cathedral’s treasures include a famous 18th-century delicately wrought iron chancel screen; the unusual Rolls-Royce font (Derby was the birthplace of Rolls-Royce); Bess of Hardwick’s elaborate monument (Hardwick Hall, a flamboyant Elizabethan manor-house with her initials prominently carved in stone, is in Derbyshire) and the tombstone commemorating the local artist, Joseph Wright.

The paintings of Joseph Wright, whose portraits of the characters of the Industrial Revolution and studies of the dramatic advances in science and philosophy captured the spirit of the period, were much in demand - by Catherine the Great and Prime Minister Lord Palmerston among others. Stroll among them at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery. A Joseph Wright trail takes visitors round landmarks of his life, such as Pickford’s House, the Georgian home of an architect friend who used the facade and front rooms to demonstrate his skills. Now it shows the domestic life of the period in its attractive rooms and garden, as well as collections of historic costumes and toys.

Derby Museum also contains, in the new Ceramics Gallery, a fine collection of porcelain, for fine china is another Derby speciality. It is well worth joining one of the tours of the Royal Crown Derby factory: visitors can try their hand at some of the skills involved.

The china would have been much in demand locally, for Derbyshire has many stately homes, most famous of which is Chatsworth House, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, with its magnificent grounds laid out by Capability Brown. Chatsworth remains open until December 21, and will be in full seasonal mood from November 8 with “Christmas at Chatsworth”. Also within easy reach are Kedleston Hall, a Palladian mansion with the most complete and least-altered interiors by architect Robert Adam; Calke Abbey, eccentric and preserved as it was when the family left, in a time-warp; and Sudbury Hall, home of the National Trust Museum of Childhood.

Sudbury Hall is a key element in “Treasures of Childhood”, a festival of events celebrating nostalgic memories, which continues until Christmas. Connected weekend breaks at nearby hotels offer “Treasures Treats”: such as champagne to celebrate with at the Marriott Breadsall Priory Hotel. Other packages on offer include weekends of football - based on a match at Pride Park stadium with a trip to see the world’s largest collection of Grand Prix Formula One cars at nearby Castle Donington - or motorcycling, with specially designed routes to see countryside around.

The stylish spa towns of Matlock Bath, strung out along a wooded river gorge and Buxton, with its gracious crescent built by the 5th Duke of Devonshire to rival fashionable Bath, are popular day-trip destinations.

A multi-cultural city with colourful festivals at Diwali (Hindu Festival of Light, October) Eid (December) and Vaisakhi (April), Derby and surrounding districts are also indelibly associated with local customs such as the Derbyshire tradition of well dressing, intricate mosaics of leaves and flowers made around wells in the late spring. Others include choosing May Queens and Shrovetide Football at Ashbourne, played on a pitch three miles long.

Derby’s restaurants reflect its multi-ethnic make-up and it is particularly known for its pubs serving ‘real ale’, especially the Brunswick Inn and Brewery (the first purpose-built railwayman’s hostelry in the world) and for hosting the Campaign for Real Ale Beer Festival (February). An evening supping the local beers might be a good time to experience one of the city’s popular ghost walks. Derby folk will tell you it has more than its fair share of hauntings, bearing out its claim to be the “dead centre of England”.

The city has good road and rail links and is only 15 minutes from East Midlands Airport with its increasing number of flights from continental Europe.