Derby Local Information: 10 top things to know... more

  • 1. History of Derby

    Romans were the first settlers in the Derby area. When the Saxons took over the Roman fort they renamed it Little Chester, and this historic area of Derby still goes by the same name today. There are many streets and buildings of historic value in Derby and the city council has designated 15 areas of historic importance. By the early part of the 13th century, the Market Place w...Read moreas a busy commercial centre. Bridge Chapel was built around the year 1300, on the bridge over the river Derwent. It still survives today after being restored in the 1930s. The Derby School was founded in 1554 in St Peter's Churchyard. Derby Heritage Centre now uses this building. The tower of All Saint's, now Derby Cathedral, was rebuilt between 1509 and 1530. Read less

  • 2. Now in Derby

    Derby has a University, which was founded in 1992 and is now a big part of city life. Much of the city centre was pedestrianised in 1994, making it an easy place to shop in. A new shopping mall was built on the site of the old bus station and opened in 2007. Development is taking place on the banks of the River Derwent, known as Riverlights. This will include retail space, cafe...Read mores, restaurants, a casino, apartments and office space. Read less

  • 3. Events in Derby

    Annual music festivals to take place in Derby include The Bloodstock heavy metal festival and the Darley Park Concert outdoor event with fireworks. The State of the Art Tattoo, Body Art and Music Festival takes place every year for two days. The Alt. Fiction Literature Festival Weekend celebrates books and the world of publishing. Inspiring Derby week is seven days of fun and a...Read morectivities based on arts and culture, history and heritage, conservation and the environment, sport and leisure, enterprise and business and health and well being. Derby’s Big Screen in the Market Place shows live events, interactive games, short films by local filmmakers, artistic pieces, videos from local bands and more. Read less

  • 4. Attractions in Derby

    Derby Museum and Art Gallery has a collection of Derby porcelain, which is of international importance. Other collections include paintings, archaeology, geology and wildlife. Pickford’s House Museum is a Georgian townhouse with rooms decorated to display Georgian lifestyle. There is also a display of fashions through the ages. Derby Cathedral is open to visitors, although a ...Read moretrip up its tower needs to be booked in advance. The cathedral is connected to the medieval chapel of St Mary’s on the Bridge. The Royal Crown Derby Visitor Centre teaches visitors about the traditions, history and skills that go into making the famous Royal Crown Derby china. Factory tours are also available. The Silk Mill is Derby’s Museum of Industry and History and sits at the site of the world’s first ever factory. Brunswood Farm has space hopper racing, outdoor games, swings, climbing frames, a play area and an animal patch. The 19th century Derby Roundhouse historic railway building is now part of Derby College. Tours are available. Read less

  • 5. Things To Do in Derby

    Derby is said to be one of the most haunted cities in the UK and there are plenty of ghost walks, overnight vigils and events for anyone who likes being scared. The city of Derby boasts more than 300 green spaces, including Derby Arboretum. The list also includes Darley Park, in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, Markeaton Park, with the Mundy Play Centre for childre...Read moren, and Cathedral Green. Read less

  • 6. Business in Derby

    The traditional Cathedral Quarter has shops selling designer and vintage clothes, shoes, crafts and gifts as well as galleries and eateries, all set within historical streets. Westfield Derby is a modern indoor shopping centre offering many high street names. Derby also has busy markets, including the fixed sites of the Eagle Market and the Victorian Market Hall.

  • 7. Transport in Derby

    Derby is the most central city in the UK so it is easily accessible from all directions. By car, it is just 15mins from the M1 motorway. The main A-roads into Derby are the A6, A50, A38 and A52. Derby train station is located in the city centre and has good links to the rest of the UK. Trains to London take about 90 minutes. The nearest airport to Derby is East Midlands Airport...Read more, which is about 20 minutes by car. It takes about 50 minutes to drive to Birmingham International and 90 minutes to Manchester Airport. Read less

  • 8. Entertainment in Derby

    The list of theatres in Derby includes Derby Theatre, The Assembly Rooms and The Guildhall Theatre. QUAD is an arts complex containing a gallery, cinema, café bar and arts workshop. Déda is a city centre venue offering a dance-focussed arts programme of performances, classes and activities. The three cinemas in the city are Showcase Cinemas, UCI Cinemas and Showcase Cinema de...Read more Lux. Read less

  • 9. Famous Landmarks in Derby

    The tower of Derby Cathedral is 65 metres high and looms over the city. There are 189 steps to climb to the top. Kedleston Hall was built in the 1760s and is now a National Trust property. The huge mansion and parkland is the work of architect Robert Adam. The Curzon family have lived at the hall since the 12th century and still do. It is open to visitors and there is a museum ...Read moreat the site. Read less

  • 10. Interesting Facts about Derby

    Derby City Council has 370 listed buildings, 15 conservation areas and 500 tree preservation orders to maintain. It also maintains 1,950 acres of green open space, puts up 300 hanging baskets and plants 270,000 flowers each year.

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  • That’s a good call! Old red phone box back in use as book exchange

    A rusty old phone box is now being put to good use as a book exchange in the Derbyshire village of Little Eaton. It has proved so successful that villagers are planning on buying another telephone box. Councillors initially bought the former telephone booth from BT for just £1 and the parish council refurbished it and turned it into a book exchange for locals. Villagers can drop off and borrow old books without having to pay a penny. Chairman of …

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  • A sea of red, white and blue flowers will mark Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

    The annual Derby in Bloom competition is welcoming a new competitor this year, the suburb of Chaddesden. The area will be joining in as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. Businesses and shops will be adding floral displays in red, white and blue to mark the milestone Royal occasion on the 4th June. The horticultural competition will also coincide with Chaddesden’s The Big One carnival, so it will be an exciting time for the area. Chairman of the Chaddesden …

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  • ‘I owe my success to help from the Princes Trust’

    Charlotte Hunt, a 16 year old who struggled at school after her mother passed away, has said that she owes her place at college to charity the Prince’s Trust. The Derby teenager was predicted to fail her GCSEs but was over the moon when she opened her results and found that she had passed. With her passing grades she could enroll at Ilkeston Sixth Form College where she is currently studying business and work skills. She believes that it is …

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  • Woman lost in Derby nightclub rang 999

    Hundreds of phone calls that are not real emergencies are made to Derbyshire police on their 999 number every week. One of the most dramatic examples of this is when a woman called the emergency number to say that she was lost in a nightclub. Around 385 calls are made to the police a day, but almost a third of these calls are not real emergencies. Local police officers are reminding the public about the 101 non-emergency number which was …

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