Derby The Roman University town we all know and love!
Situated in the south of the county named after it (that’s Derbyshire, not Derby county), you will find this luscious city on the banks of the River Derwent. The city has been many things throughout the years; from a market town to a centre for aeroplane manufacturers – Derby has seen it all. Originally established by the Romans, this former meeting place and World Heritage Site inclusive city is truly one of an English-town-kind.
Want to know more about it? We sure do. Let’s get stuck in with a little bit of history.
Derby the Roman Town
It is thought that the town was initially established to be a Roman market town on the banks of the river. They set up a camp named ‘Derventio’ somewhere around the area of town that is now known as Chester Green. After a few years of use, this camp grew into a fort. The fort would have stood where Belper Road now is, on the high ground. This would have provided some notice of the incoming enemies on the river.
When the Saxons arrived a few centuries after the Romans, they renamed the fort. Now known as Little Chester, this area of the town retains its name to this day. Right up until the Vikings arrived, the Saxons had free reign of Little Chester. At some point around AD 900, the Vikings took over Nottingham and basically chased everyone else away.
In terms of etymology, there is a little disagreement over who named what and when. The Vikings called it Djura-by, which translated roughly into old English sounded a lot like Derby. However, there is also an argument that the River Derwent gave the town its name. A third position theorises that the name of the current city was the name of the old Roman fort, but with the ‘v’ pronounced as a ‘b’ (as many Latin languages do). Either of these roads leads to Derby (excuse the pun) instead of Rome… so perhaps the city’s name is just down to destiny.
Anyway; the story goes that the Anglo-Saxons shared possession of the town. So Derby has Roman, Norman, Saxon, and Viking heritage. It is thought that since it was a market town there would have been traders of every breed here. The Vikings also counted it as one of the five boroughs of Danelaw – the five main forts that helped them keep the peace during their occupations.
Let’s just summarise this section by saying that Derby has always been important to everyone that passes through it… maybe it’s on a ley line or something; yes, we were pedantic enough to look it up!
After the Vikings
Every town in England that is old enough can be historically split into before and after the Vikings came… because they got everywhere. Around 917 AD the then-Mercians attacked and took back the town. A little over a hundred and fifty years later the town was recorded in the Domesday Survey. This in-depth survey charted all the owned land in England and reported who owned it. It was historically important as it was the first of its kind of document in the UK.
Also worth noting before we move on is the fact that Derby precedes English history. Derby existed before the English counties unified. That’s a pretty cool feature for any city. In 1204 – nearly three hundred years post-Viking, the townspeople were granted a charter to rule themselves. A trader’s guild was formed, and two bailiffs were elected to run the town. At some point later in this century trade and religion flourished in the town, side-by-side. Derby Black Friary was established and didn’t dissolve until the fifteenth century. They even had royal guests from time to time.
Mixed in along with the religious and spiritual growth of medieval Derby was the booming trade the market town sported. They cleaned, wove, and dyed wool, created leather and armours, and sported a variety of tradesmen and craftsmen. As a central, market location, all of the trades that human life needed sprung up here.
As of 1294 Derby gained its own MP and was evermore represented in Westminster. The establishment of a hospital, run by monks, around the end of the thirteenth century made sure that the poor were cared for. These monks came from the St. James Priory, established in 1140. Reportedly, a Leper Hostel was later added in the area of Leonard Street. Henry the Eighth closed all of the religious establishments in the town on account of his fondness for the church. He established the All Saints Church instead.
The 14th and 15th centuries were times of peace and relative contentment as the town grew and prospered. Right up until Henry VIII started making silly changes to the way things worked. While his daughter was in charge a blind woman named Joan Waste was burned to death in Derby simply for refusing to ‘renounce her protestant faith’. Whichever way you try to justify that, history is going to record you as the bad guy… and be totally justified.
Interesting Derby Facts
We thought we would interrupt all this semi-dull history with a few interesting Derby facts. Here goes nothing!
- When digging up the ground to build the current Derby Racecourse builders came across an industrial area of the old Roman camp. 2 potter’s kilns, a long road with evidence of timber house frames, and a cemetery was all discovered.
- In 1261, King Henry III granted a decree saying no Jews were allowed to live in Derby. How rude! Thank goodness these kinds of laws have long since been abolished.
- Joan Waste wasn’t just a blind woman, she was someone’s twin. She was hanged over the fire at Windmill Pit until the rope caught flame and she fell in. She died a terrible, excruciating, death on what you now know as Lime Street. So if you live there… good luck with the nightmares.
- Derby didn’t gain city status until 1977, despite having a notable population for several hundred years before that.
So now you can sleep a little easier… unless you live on Lime Street.
Plague in Derby
Derby has one of the saddest, yet most inspiring, plague stories we have yet come across. Not far outside of town is the village of Eyam. It is said that the town tailor ordered a package from London. When the cloth arrived it was damp. The unknowing tailor straightened the cloth out and hung it in front of his fire to dry. It is speculated that fleas carrying the bubonic plague then left the contaminated cloth and infected the village.
Whether the cause was fleas, or whether heating the cloth into damp steam caused infection; what we do know is that 260 of the villagers died. Some families lost nine members. One love story has two youngsters calling to each other from across the rocks, village to village. The tale ends sadly, with one young lover dying along with most of their family.
Upon the advice of the minister and town elders, the villagers of Eyam stayed where they were and did not travel. They quarantined themselves and waited it out. Food was left for them at a nearby well courtesy of the local Earl – and as a tribute to their bravery. The Plague started here in 1665 and lasted fourteen months. When it finally ran its course only a handful of villagers were left alive.
Despite the best efforts of the villagers to stop the spread of the plague – of course, it reached the city anyway. In the same year, the Derby Plague saw unknown numbers of Derby residents left dead. Trade in the great market town all but stopped. Food ran short because there were no workers in the fields. No ships came in and nobody brought fresh goods. One legend says that St Peter’s Church saw so many bodies buried that they had to put them in the ground feet first to save space.
When the plague receded the population was down by a full quarter across the UK. There was nobody to till the soil, nobody to preach to the people, and, in the very worst of cases, nobody left to bury the dead.
One of the first things that Derby leaders did when the plague receded was to build a piped-in water supply and sewage system. Presumably, the aim of this would be to stop something similar from ever happening again.
The War Effort…
Derby was a Parliamentary supporter in the English Civil War and successfully aided in defending the county from the nasty Royalists. In 1743 Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite’s successfully set up camp in the city. To this day you can trace his path through it on his way south. A local legend says that he walked into a bar and demanded billets for his 9,000 men… but this is more than a little unlikely. Imagine the queen ordering anything for herself? Are we allowed to say that?
Anyway, the Bonnie Prince stayed at Exeter House until he eventually gave up just south of the city and went home.
Next came the industrial revolution, in which Derby is noted to have been the sight of the first-ever silk mill in Britain. They made stockings. Then came the cotton spinning mills… then an engineering industry. This was followed by a railway, a barracks, and then a car and an aircraft factory.
World War One saw Derby lose five people to overhead Zeppelin attacks. During the Second World War, they used a combination of radio jamming and decoy techniques to successfully dissuade the Luftwaffe. Compared to other British cities Derby did incredibly well during this period. They lost a grand total of 74 people and took roughly 300 casualties. They used large, lit areas of empty agricultural space outside of town to fool the Germans into dropping their bombs in empty fields. Well done Derby, we take our collective hats off to you.
The Post War Years
Everything in the tail end of the last century is considered post-war. Like all British cities, Derby did reasonably well up until the end of the nineties. A whole generation was lost to apathy in the recession and the effects are still being felt… that doesn’t mean to say that it is a boring town… quite the contrary, in fact. Derby has even sported some very interesting residents, indeed.
Famous Derby Faces
There have been more than a few famous names to come out of Derby. Some of our favourites include:
- Arthur Lowe was born in Derby. He was the chief character in Dad’s Army, where he played Captain Mainwaring.
- Allison Hargreaves – the mountaineers among you might recognise the name of the first British woman to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen or a Sherpa to guide her. Madness, perhaps, but she lived to tell the tale.
- Joseph Whittaker, the world-famous botanist who helped catalogue an estimated 300 plant species in Australia, was Derby-born.
There are literally a hundred more. Ranker has put together a list and found 960 of them if you have the interest.
Derby Attractions You Should See
Ever thought of visiting Derby but not sure what sights to see? Here are our favourite Derby attractions, as voted for by the locals.
The Derby Market Hall
Derby has been a market town since before England became England. You can’t possibly come here and not go shopping. The Derby Market Hall makes up some old-school, market stall-based shopping. You can also find designer shopping for the high-end buyer at the McArthurglen Designer Outlet. If you want something that meets somewhere in the middle, then Intu Derby is your best bet.
When it comes to shopping, they have something for every budget.
Visit Pride Park Stadium
Sports fans don’t miss out on holiday in Derby. You can visit Pride Park Stadium; home to Derby County FC. If running and athletics are more your thing, then you can take your daily jog at the Moorways Stadium. They have their own athletic track, ready and waiting for you to use. You can book a pitch of your own for a game or two at the Willows Sports Centre.
In terms of leisure, there is loads to do in Derby. Send the kids swimming at the Gayton Swimming Pool or the Lonsdale Swimming Pool, depending on what area of the city you are in. You have a ten screen Odeon cinema in Derby as well if you want a date night.
Sight-See at Calke Abbey
There are more than a few historical attractions in the city that are important for one reason or another. Check out the country estate at Calke Abbey where the National Trust are working hard to introduce new butterfly species to the gardens. There are several walks on offer and a few guided tours.
Kedleston Hall is a neo-classical mansion in Derby. This spectacular 18th century stately home has been almost fully restored. Built by a former Viceroy of India, it is a true testament to the former wealth of the traders that ruled Derby in days long passed.
Pickford’s House, part museum and part former home to architect Joseph Pickford… another of derby’s famous faces. This location offers a nice change of pace to all the mansions. On a similar theme, the Derby Cathedral is a sight to see – and still holds services, despite its grandeur.
Museums and Gallery Tours
Why not have a wander around some of the galleries and museums that make Derby so special? If you are in Derby and looking for something to do for the day, check out the East Midlands Aeropark. This alternative take on an educational outing run occasional events. They are also a civilian airfield so watch the skies. The best-known museum in town is the Derby Museum and Art Gallery but the Derby Silk Mill is also excellent.
We would suggest that anyone in the area take a trip out to the Eyam plague village. It’s a little morbid, but necessary if you want to learn about the local history. Likewise, the National Sikh Heritage Centre and Holocaust Museum is in Derby. You know where to go if you want to pay homage.
As an interesting aside; Derby has one third more Deaf residents than any other English city. According to Wikipedia, they have such high numbers of sign language speakers in the city that they are constantly attracting the deaf community. So if you happen to know a bit of sign language you will blend right in!
Visit the Arboretum Park
Hidden within the heart of the city of Derby, you will find a whole maze of gardens, parks, and recreational areas that you didn’t think were possible to hide. The Arboretum Park is one, the Riverside Gardens, another. On the outskirts of town, you will find the Elvaston Castle County Park, and then to the north, you will find the fields and lake of Locko Park… Let us tell you a little story about Locko Park…
Four or five times a year, a local Live Action Roleplay Group (that’s LARP, for short) meet in Locko Park. What started as a small event in the late nineties soon grew in popularity, until Locko Park became the site of one of the biggest LARP meetups in Britain. Every August, this seemingly peaceful place turns Medieval as locals don shields and swords. The Lorien Trust have a lot to answer for. At the end of every event, they have a huge fight in the fields and locals are invited along to watch.
Where to Eat, Drink, Stay and Party in Derby?
On that note: let’s move on to where you can eat in Derby. There are loads of great restaurants to choose from. Well, good news – there is a Frankie & Benny’s in Derwent Parade so we can all go home now. On top of that, Zizzi’s in the Intu centre is great for a business lunch. Pepitos on London Road is constantly busy and gets rave reviews for family food.
For drinking and the after party of the drinking, Derby has lots of pubs to offer. Quaint, old-world English style can be found at the Maypole Inn on Brook Street, or at the Old Crown Inn. If you want ultra-modern and on-trend, then try the Distillery Derby. They have good food, to boot. The Cow Dalbury Bars sell real ale if that is your preference.
If you are looking for a party then try the Brunswick Inn for a good karaoke or two. Rowley’s Gin Bar is a popular second choice, but the Last Post is a close third… all according to Trip Advisor. Locals love Bar Fever, but the choice is yours.
The Hallmark Hotel in Derby gets a great rep for its cheap prices. We love it when we feel like we are getting a deal. They also have a bunch of locations to choose from. The Pentahotel is a favourite for business professionals who are just passing through; while the Blue Jay by Marston’s Inns is a sweet choice for those looking for cosy, artsy hotels.
So there you have it… everything you need to know about Derby – except how to get there…
How to Get to Derby?
By Road
Travel east out of Nottingham to reach Derby. If you left London and headed north on the M1 you would eventually pass first Leicester, and then Derby.
By Rail
You can make your way to Derby train station (DBY).
By Air
The nearest is East Midlands Airport.
Five More Minutes…?
Think you still have some time free? We here at Five Minutes Spare invite you to take a look at some of our other articles. We have everything you never wanted to learn about until now… so why not go have a browse? One of the biggest certainties of life is that you regret more of what you don’t do than the things that you go ahead with.
