Overview Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent and is surrounded by the shire county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census the population of the borough was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407. Measured by Urban Area, Derby is the 18th largest settlement in England. Traditionally, Derby is the county town of Derbyshire, although Derbyshire's administrative centre has in recent years been Matlock. On 1 April 1997 Derby City Council became again a unitary authority (a status it had held, as a County Borough, up until 1974), with the rest of Derbyshire administered from Matlock. Derby has two Hospitals the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary and the Derby City Hospital. History Origins The City has Roman, Saxon and Viking connections. The Roman camp of 'Derventio' was probably at Little Chester/Chester Green (grid reference SK353375); The site of the old Roman fort is now occupied by a football (soccer) pitch. Later the town was one of the 'Five Boroughs' (fortified towns) of the Danelaw. The Tower of Britain's smallest cathedralThe popular belief is that the name 'Derby' is a corruption of the Danish and Gaelic Djúra-bý (recorded in Anglo-Saxon as Deoraby) (Village of the Deer); however some assert that it is a corruption of the original Roman name 'Derventio'. The town was also named 'Darby' or 'Darbye' on some of the oldest maps, eg. Speed's 1610 map. The city is one of the few cities that has retained a name with a Viking origin, like York, which had the Viking name Jórvík. Derby recently celebrated its 2,000th year as a settlement. New research (throughout 2004) into the history and archaeology of Derby has provided evidence that the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons probably co-existed, occupying two areas of land surrounded by water. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (c. 900) says that "Derby is divided by water". These areas of land were known as Norþworþig ("Northworthy", = "north enclosure") and Deoraby, and were at the "Irongate" (North) side of Derby. (Ron McKeown of Derby Heritage Development Trust has produced a recent paper on this subject.) The Middle Ages to the 18th century During the Civil War of 1642-1646 the town was garrisoned by Parliamentary troops commanded by Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet, who was appointed Governor of Derby in 1643. These troops took part in the defence of Nottingham, the siege of Lichfield, the battle of Hopton Heath and many other engagements in Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, as well as successfully defending Derbyshire against royalist armies. Bonnie Prince Charlie made camp at Derby on 4 December 1745, whilst on his way south to seize the English crown. The Prince called at The George Inn on Irongate, where the Duke of Devonshire had set up his headquarters, and demanded billets for his 9000 troops. Statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie located on Cathedral GreenHe stayed at Exeter House, Exeter Street where he held his "Council of War". A replica of the room containing actual wall panels from Exeter house is on display at the Central library located on the Wardwick in the City Centre. [1] He had received misleading information about an army coming to meet him south of Derby. Although he wished to continue with his quest, he was overruled by his fellow officers. He abandoned his invasion at Swarkestone Bridge, on the River Trent, just a few miles south of Derby. As a testement to his belief in his cause the Prince who on the march from Scotland had walked at the front of the column made the return journey on horseback at the rear of the bedraggled and tired army. Each year at the beginning of December, (usually the first weekend), the Charles Edward Stuart Society of Derby lead a weekend of activities culminating in a parade through the City Centre and a battle on Cathedral Green. Derby and Derbyshire were centres of Britain's industrial revolution. In 1717 Derby was the site of the first water powered silk mill in Britain, built by John Lombe and George Sorocold after Lombe had reputedly stolen the secrets of silk-throwing from Piedmont in what is now Italy (he is alleged to have been poisoned by Piedmontese in revenge in 1722). In 1759 Jedediah Strutt patented and built a machine called the Derby Rib attachment that revolutionised the manufacture of Hose. This attachment was used on the Rev. Lee's Framework knitting machine; it was placed in front of and worked in unison with Lee's Frame, to produce ribbed hose (stockings). The partners were Jedediah Strutt, William Woollatt had been joined in 1758 by John Bloodworth and Thomas Stafford, leading hosiers in Derby. The patent was obtained in January 1759; after three years Bloodworth and Stafford were paid off, and Samuel Need, hosier of Nottingham, joined the partnership; the firm was known as Need, Strutt & Woollatt. The patent expired in 1773, though the partnership continued until 1781, when Need died. Derby Industrial Museum / Silk Mill World Heritage SiteMessrs Wright, the bankers of Nottingham, recommended that Richard Arkwright apply to Strutt & Need for finance for his cotton spinning mill. The first mill opened in Nottingham in 1770; this was driven by horses. Derwent Valley Mills, another World Heritage SiteIn 1771 Richard Arkwright, Samuel Need and Jedediah Strutt built the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill at Cromford, Derbyshire, developing a form of power that was the catalyst for the industrial revolution. This was followed in Derbyshire by Jedediah Strutt's cotton spinning mills at Belper. They were: South Mill, the first, 1775; North Mill, 1784, which was destroyed by fire on 12 January 1803, and then rebuilt--it started work again at the end of 1804; West Mill, 1792, commenced working 1796; Reeling Mill, 1897; Round Mill, which took 10 years to build, from 1803 to 1813, and commenced working in 1816; and Milford Mills, 1778. The Belper and Milford mills were not built in partnership with Arkwright. These mills were all Strutt owned and financed. The Belper North Mill of 1804 built by William Strutt, Jedediah's son, is the only original Strutt Mill still standing today. It is an iron-framed fire-proof Building. (Now a Visitor Centre, open Wed-Sun 1pm to 5pm). Thomas Evans' mill at Darley Abbey (1783). Other famous 18th century figures with connections to Derby include Dr Johnson, the creator of the English dictionary, who married Elizabeth Porter at St. Werburgh's Church, Derby in 1735; the painter Joseph Wright, known as Wright of Derby, who was famous for his revolutionary use of light in his paintings and was an associate of the Royal Academy; and John Whitehurst, a famous clockmaker and philosopher. Erasmus Darwin, doctor, scientist, philosopher and grandfather of Charles Darwin was also to be found in Derby and Derbyshire at much the same time, though his practice was based in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The beginning of the next century saw Derby emerging as an engineering centre, with manufacturers such as James Fox, who exported machine tools to Russia. In 1840, the North Midland Railway set up its works in Derby and, when it merged with the Midland Counties Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway, to form the Midland Railway, Derby became its headquarters. The connection with the railway encouraged others, notably Andrew Handyside, Charles Fox and his son Francis Fox. A list of the structures these three built reads like a "Who's Who" of famous buildings. Derby was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and it became a county borough with the Local Government Act 1888. The borough expanded in 1877 to include Little Chester and Litchurch, and then in 1890 to include New Normanton and Rowditch. The borough did not increase substantially again until 1968, when under a recommendation of the Local Government Boundary Commission it was expanded into large parts of the rural district of Belper, Repton and South East Derbyshire. This vastly increased Derby's population from 132,408 in the 1961 census to 219,578 in the 1971 census. Despite being one of the areas of Britain furthest from the sea, Derby holds a special place in the history of marine safety - it was as MP for Derby that Samuel Plimsoll introduced his bills for a 'Plimsoll line' (and other marine safety measures). This failed on first introduction, but was successful in 1876 and contributed to Plimsoll's re-election as a deservedly popular MP. Recent history (post 1900) Derby was awarded city status in 1977 by Queen Elizabeth II to mark the 25th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. The Queen presented the "charter scroll" in person on July 28, 1977. Prior to that, Derby was one of the few towns in England that were not cities, but boasted a cathedral. On 17 February 2003, Derby was granted Fairtrade City status. Derby has a number of public parks, many Victorian in origin. Darley and Derwent Parks - the dog walkers parks - immediately North of the City Centre are home to owls, kingfishers and a wide variety of wildlife. There is an attractive riverside walk and cycle path from Darley Park South to two other parks. West of the city centre is Markeaton Park - the family park - whilst to the North is Allestree park and its lake. Derby also boasts the first public recreational park in the country, the Arboretum, to the South of the City Center. This was set up by philathropic land owner and industrialist Joseph Strutt in 1840. It has often been quoted that it was the inspiration for the vision of great urban parks in the USA, notibly Central Park in New York. Derby holds a special place in the history of the Labour movement - it was one of two seats (the other being Keir Hardie's in Merthyr Tydfil) gained by the recently-formed Labour Representation Committee at the 1900 General Election. The MP was Richard Bell, general secretary of the Railway Servants Union. Bell was succeeded by Jimmy Thomas and he in turn by the distinguished polymath and Nobel Laureate Philip Noel-Baker. Derby has also become a significant cultural centre for the deaf community in the UK. Many deaf people relocate to Derby because of its strong sign language using community. It is estimated that the deaf population in Derby is at least three times higher than the national average, and that only London has a larger deaf population. The Royal School for the Deaf on Ashbourne Road used to provide education in British Sign Language and English. Landmarks Derby Cathedral boasts the second-highest cathedral tower in the country. In recent years, this has been home to a pair of breeding peregrine falcons. Derby Heritage Centre, formerly the Tudor Grammar School, told the story of Derby from Roman times till today. Unfortunately the owner, Richard Felix, has closed it so that he can focus on his Television career. The Heritage Centre has now been converted into a hairdresser's salon. However the new owner has a great interest in local history and has preserved all of the building's original features. Derby Gaol is a visitor attraction based in the dungeons of the Derbyshire County Gaol which dates back to 1756. Derby Industrial Museum is situated in Derby Silk Mill and shows the industrial heritage and technological achievement of Derby, including Rolls-Royce aero engines, railways, mining, quarrying and foundries. Pickford's House MuseumPickford's House Museum was built by architect Joseph Pickford in 1770. It was his home and business headquarters. Derby Museum and Art Gallery shows paintings by Joseph Wright, as well as fine Royal Crown Derby porcelain, local regiments and archaeology. Pickford also designed St Helen's House in King Street. The Eagle Centre is the city's main indoor shopping centre and is currently undergoing major extension work, costing £340 million. The extension will open on 9 October 2007 , with the centre taking the new name Westfield Derby. It will contain a brand new food court, and a 12 screen cinema to be opened in spring 2008. Much of the skyline of the inner city changed radically in 1968 when the inner ring road with its two new crossings of the River Derwent was built. The route of the ring road went through the magnificent St. Alkmund's church and its wonderful Georgian church yard, the only Georgian square in Derby. Both were demolished to make way for the road, a move still criticised today. Thus the editor (Elizabeth Williamson) of the 2nd edition of Pevsner for Derbyshire wrote:- '...the character and cohesion of the centre has been completely altered by the replacement of a large number of C18 houses in the centre by a multi-lane road. As a traffic scheme this road is said to be a triumph; as townscape it is a disaster.'

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