Darley Park is an urban park on the banks of the River Derwent, just north of Derby City Centre, England, United Kingdom. It has a total area of 80 acres and forms the largest part of the Darley Open Spaces. [1] The park is one of Derby's most popular outdoor spaces. [2]
The name Darley Park is often used to describe all or the separate parts that make up the Darley Open Spaces; a number of adjacent urban park areas that lie on either side of the banks of the River Derwent, at the gateway to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. They are; Darley Park, Derwent Park, Parker’s Piece, Chester Green, Darley Fields and Nutwood Nature Reserve. [3]
At 80 acres, Darley Park is the largest of the areas. It is formed largely of steep bank that has a rise from the river level of about 30m. [4]
There are five main entrances to the Park, the closest to Derby city centre being at the southern point, off North Parade. Here there is also Handyside Bridge which offers a pedestrian route over to Parkers Piece and Chester Green.
Darley Park can also be accessed from the adjacent Derwent Park via pathways that lead from Duffield Road and Belper Road. There are two entrances from Darley Abbey Village; one off New Road and one at the northern point of the Park, next to Deans Field.
There are two official car parks for the park, one at the Darley Road entrance and one at Deans Field. Both of these car parks are free to use.
In 1929 the Evans family, who were the local mill owners, donated the land Darley Park stands on to the people of Derby. The park had its official opening by the Duke of Kent on 30 June 1931. Nearby Markeaton Park was also opened later that day. Thousands of people attended the opening, including around 4,000 local children.
Included in the grounds was a Georgian mansion, however, this was demolished in the '60s due to the building being unsafe. The site of the mansion was flattened and a paved garden was installed, in addition to the gardens that were already in place. Some of the bricks from the original mansion were used in the construction of the pillars that make up the tearooms outdoor seating area today. [5]
Darley Park is home to largest collection of Hydrangeas in Britain, and the third largest in the world. First planted in 1984 it now has over 400 different types and is constantly expanding. Since April 2010 the collection has been maintained in partnership with a subgroup of Friends of Darley Open Spaces (FoDOS) called Hydrangea Derby. [5]
The Hydrangea Derby project is helped by volunteers who plant, maintain and catalogue the collection. Open days are held each summer to showcase the collection and a free guided tour is provided. [6] There is a butterfly garden situated next to the hydrangea collection which boast an array of butterflies in the summer months.
The Darley Park Concert is held annually in the park and is hosted by Derby Live. The natural amphitheatre landscape allows spectators to view down to a temporary stage set up and there is a firework finale. The concert was previously Europe’s largest free outdoor concert, however as of 2018 there has been admission fees in place. The concert was temporarily moved to Castle Donington in 2017 due to council funding issues. [7]
In 2012 the park hosted the end of day 42 in the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay. [8]
Darley Park Tearooms occupies the old school building, that was once part of the mansion, and has a terraced area that has views across the park and the city beyond. Darley Abbey Cricket Club has its ground and pavilion in the park. The club plays in the Derbyshire County Cricket League, Divisions 4 South, 7 South and 4 North. Derby Rowing Club is located at the south end of the park. [9] It has a function room that can be hired out for events.
Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', system was born here in the 18th century to accommodate the new technology for spinning cotton developed by Richard Arkwright. With advancements in technology, it became possible to produce cotton continuously. The system was adopted throughout the valley, and later spread so that by 1788 there were over 200 Arkwright-type mills in Britain. Arkwright's inventions and system of organising labour was exported to Europe and the United States.
The Derwent is a river in Derbyshire, England. It is 50 miles (80 km) long and is a tributary of the River Trent, which it joins south of Derby. Throughout its course, the river mostly flows through the Peak District and its foothills.
Spondon is a ward of the city of Derby. Originally a small village, Spondon dates back to the Domesday Book and it became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with companies such as British Celanese.
Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The town is twinned with the French town of Eaubonne. The former spa resort of Matlock Bath lies immediately south of the town on the A6. The civil parish of Matlock Town had a population in the 2011 UK census of 9,543. The population of the wider Matlock urban area is approximately 20,000.
Baslow is a village in Derbyshire, England, in the Peak District, situated between Sheffield and Bakewell, just over 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Chatsworth House. It is sited by the River Derwent, which is spanned by a 17th-century bridge, alongside which is a contemporary toll house.
Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, with a population of around 6,000. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road. The town forms part of the urban area of Matlock and acts as a commuter town for workers there.
The University of Derby is a public university in the city of Derby, England. It traces its history back to the establishment of the Derby Diocesan Institution for the Training of Schoolmistresses in 1851. It gained university status in 1992.
Chaddesden, also known locally as Chadd, is a large residential suburb of Derby, United Kingdom. Historically a separate village centred on Chaddesden Hall and the 14th century St Mary's Church, the area was significantly expanded by 20th-century housing developments, and was incorporated into Derby in 1968.
Allestree is a suburb and ward of the city of Derby, a unitary authority area, in Derbyshire, England. It is the northernmost ward and is situated on the A6 road, about 2 miles (3 km) north of Derby city centre. It is bordered by the district of Amber Valley along its western and northern edges and Erewash in its north-east corner. To the south it borders the ward of Mackworth and to the east the ward of Darley Abbey.
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports stadiums and venues, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne city centre, located in suburbs of Melbourne and Jolimont, near East Melbourne and Richmond.
Alvaston is a village and ward of Derby, England. Alvaston is situated on the A6, three miles south-east of Derby city centre and probably owes its name to Allwald. It is bordered to the north by the wards of Derwent, Chaddesden and Spondon, to the west is the City Centre, to the south are Sinfin and Chellaston and to the east the district of South Derbyshire.
Derby North is a constituency formed of part of the city of Derby, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Amanda Solloway, a Conservative.
Little Chester, also known as Chester Green after the area of open parkland at its centre, is a suburb of the city of Derby, in Derbyshire, England. It is located approximately 0.6 miles (0.97 km) north of the city centre, on the east bank of the River Derwent. It forms part of the Darley ward along with Darley Abbey and the West End. Little Chester is the oldest inhabited part of Derby, having been the location of a fortified Roman settlement called Derventio.
Little Eaton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire. The population as taken at the 2011 Census was 2,430. The name originated from Anglo Saxon times and means the little town by the water.
Darley Abbey is a former historic mill village, now a suburb of the city of Derby, England. It is located approximately 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north of the city centre, on the west bank of the River Derwent, and forms part of the Darley ward along with Little Chester and the West End. The settlement dates back to the medieval era, when it was the site of an Augustinian monastery. In the 18th century, the Evans family developed their planned industrial mill village in the area; Darley Abbey is now part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
The Derwent Valley Heritage Way (DVHW) is a 55 miles (89 km) waymarked footpath along the Derwent Valley through the Peak District. The walk starts from Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District National Park via Chatsworth, the scenery around the Derbyshire Dales, and through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. It follows the Riverside Path through Derby and continues onwards to the historic inland port of Shardlow. Journey's end is at Derwent Mouth where the River Derwent flows into the River Trent.
Derby is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, of which it was traditionally the county town. Derby gained city status in 1977, and by the 2011 census its population was 248,700.
Handyside Bridge, also known as Derwent Bridge, is a former railway bridge in Darley Abbey, Derbyshire, England which was converted to a foot bridge in 1976 following closure of the railway in 1968.
Northwood and Tinkersley is a civil parish within the Derbyshire Dales district, in the county of Derbyshire, England. Named for its main settlements, with a mix of rural and built up areas, it had a population of 665 residents in 2011. The parish is 126 miles (203 km) north west of London, 18 miles (29 km) north west of the county city of Derby, and 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) north west of the nearest market town of Matlock. Northwood and Tinkersley is directly adjacent to the Peak District national park to the west, and shares a border with the parishes of Darley Dale, Rowsley and Stanton.