DISCOVER DERBY, Derbyshire
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. Measured by Urban Area, Derby is the 18th largest settlement in England.
Derby has been named Ghost capital of Britain with over 1,000 paranormal sightings recorded in recent years so it seems only fitting that Derby was also the the location of the first showing of Dracula.
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.
The City has Roman, Saxon and Viking connections. The Roman camp of 'Derventio' was probably at Little Chester/Chester Green; 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 popular belief is that the name 'Derby' is a corruption of the Danish and Gaelic Djura-by (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. The city is one of the few cities that has retained a name with a Viking origin, like York, which had the Viking name Jorvik. Derby recently celebrated its 2,000th year as a settlement.
New research 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 Northworthy and Deoraby, and were at the Irongate (North) side of Derby.
 LANDMARKS OF DERBY
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 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.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORT
The annual open-air concert at Darley Park is one of the biggest free concerts of its kind. It is one of many performances given throughtout the year by Sinfonia Viva, a professional chamber orchestra based in Derby. The Derby Jazz group caters for the jazz interest in the city and is regarded as one of the UK's leading live jazz organizations. There is also a summer rock music festival 'Ponce in the Park' which takes place in late July every year.
Derby Playhouse regularly receives acclaim in the national press for its productions, particularly, in recent years, for its staging of shows by Stephen Sondheim.
QUAD is a new Visual Arts and Media Centre currently under construction in Derby. Work has commenced on the QUAD building and is due to be complete in 2008. The new building will house two digital cinema screens showing the best in independent and Hollywood cinema, two gallery spaces housing contemporary visual arts, a mac studio, participation spaces, digital editing suites, artists studio and a darkroom.
Derby Arboretum was the first public park in the country, and is thought to have been one of the inspirations for Central Park in New York. Although it suffered from neglect in the 1990s, it has recently undergone extensive improvement and renovation.
Famous Derby sporting institutions include Derby County Football Club, who from next season (2007-08) will be playing in the Premier League. Derby County won the First Division title (then the highest achievement in English football) in 1972 and 1975. "The Rams", as Derby County are known, also won the FA Cup in 1946. They have played at Pride Park Stadium since 1997.
Derbyshire County Cricket Club are based at the County Ground in Derby and play almost all home matches there, although matches at Chesterfield were re-introduced in 2006. One of the designated first class county sides, they have won the County Championship once, in 1936.
Derby also has clubs in both codes of rugby. In rugby union, Derby RFC play in Midlands Division Two East (the seventh level of English rugby) at their Haslams Lane ground. Rugby league team Derby City RLFC were formed in 1990. They play and train at the Asterdale Sports Centre, Spondon and compete in the Midlands Premier Division of the National Rugby League Conference.
The city of Derby has a burgeoning punk scene, and this is supported by many prominent punk, ska and hardcore bands playing the Vic Inn, a local biker pub. In recent years it has attracted many big names such as The Casualties, Agnostic Front, and UK Subs, as well as the many local punk and ska bands. Famous bands such as The Ordinary Boys, Snow Patrol and The View have played there.
In addition to this, the Derby Punx Picnic is held annually at the Bass Recreation Ground. Here underground punk and ska bands perform late into the night. The Punx Picnic has become an event in recent years, the attendance rising from around 300 in 2005 to just over 1000 in 2006. The festival attracts punks from all over the East Midlands and the UK.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
Derby is home to gluten free beer, with the first ever international gluten free beer festival held in Derby in February 2006. The event was hailed internationally as a success. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) hosted the event with interest from brewers of gluten free beer from all parts of the globe.
From Wikipedia.org
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RIVER DEWENT IN DERBYSHIRE:
The Derwent is a river in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is 80 km (50 miles) long and is a tributary of the River Trent which it joins south of Derby City.
It rises in the Peak District at Bleaklow east of Glossop and flows through the Upper Derwent Valley with its three reservoirs, the Howden Reservoir, Derwent Reservoir and Ladybower Reservoir. It then passes through Bamford, Hathersage, Grindleford and Baslow, and through the Chatsworth Park estate, and it is joined by the River Wye. After passing through Darley Dale, the Derwent reaches Matlock. It flows past Cromford and through the Crich Chase Nature Reserve.
The river was used to power many cotton mills in the Derwent Valley Mills area. The River Derwent is the habitat for many different animals such as otters and fish.
It also provides the name for the oldest field hockey club in Derbyshire. Derwent Hockey Club, established in 1897, played its matches on the banks of the Derwent in Darley Dale, before locating to Wirksworth. The name "Derwent" is Celtic and means "a valley thick with oaks".
The river Derwent ends at Derwent Mouth, 1 mile east of Shardlow, where it flows into the River Trent.
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