Derek James Latham (born 12 July 1946) is British architect, urban designer, masterplanner and landscape architect, and founder of Lathams, a Derby-based architectural and urban design practice.
Latham studied at the Leicester School of Architecture (now absorbed into De Montfort University) and began his career with Clifford Wearden Associates. His early work included housing developments and advisory work for the homelessness charity Shelter.
In 1970 he moved to Derby Borough Council where he served as an architect and planner, before becoming the Design and Conservation Office for Derbyshire County Council from 1974–78. In this time he was involved in a number of projects in the Derby area such as the renovation of the historic Midland Railway Cottages at Derby Train Station.
After a spell in private practice as a partner with Wood Latham Newton Partnership, Latham set up his own practice in 1980, Derek Latham & Associates – later rebranded as simply 'Lathams'. Founded as a conservation practice, Lathams expanded into conservation, education, and the creative renewal and regeneration of buildings, land and communities. In 2010 Latham left the role of managing director to become chairman. [1]
Notable projects undertaken in his time at Lathams include The Victoria Quarter in Leeds for Prudential PM [2] and the Jewellery Business Centre in Birmingham Jewellery Quarter for HRH Prince of Wales.
Latham has served as Regional Representative for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) in the East Midlands, a founder member of Opun - (East Midlands Architecture and Built Environment Centre) and Chairman of Regeneration East Midlands (Centre for Excellence). He was also involved in establishing the Regional Project Design Review Panel, was a Yorkshire Forward Urban Renaissance Panel Member, and his work in conservation included spells with organisations including the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Professional Practice by the University of Derby. [3]
Throughout his career he has been involved in a number of projects linked to the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, [4] and he currently serves as its Chairman. He is also currently serves as the Chair of the Derwent Valley Cycleway Trust, [5] promoting the development of a continuous cycleway along the Derwent Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Latham is married to Pauline Latham, the Member of Parliament for Mid Derbyshire from 2010 until 2024. [6]
Derbyshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south and west, and Cheshire to the west. Derby is the largest settlement, and Matlock is the county town.
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.
Ripley is a market and industrial town as well as a civil parish in the Amber Valley district of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. It is located to the north-northeast of Derby, northwest of Heanor, southwest of Alfreton and northeast of Belper. The town forms a continuous urban area with Heanor, Eastwood and Ilkeston as part of the wider Nottingham Urban Area.
Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The spa resort of Matlock Bath is immediately south of the town as well as Cromford lying further south still. The civil parish of Matlock Town had a population in the 2021 UK census of 10,000.
Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is 17 miles (27 km) north of Derby, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Matlock and 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Matlock Bath. It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Domesday Book as Crumforde, a berewick of Wirksworth, and this remained the case throughout the Middle Ages. The population at the 2011 Census was 1,433. It is principally known for its historical connection with Richard Arkwright and the nearby Cromford Mill, which he built outside the village in 1771. Cromford is in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
Derby railway station is a main line railway station serving the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England. Owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, the station is also served by CrossCountry services. It is the busiest station in Derbyshire, and the third busiest station in the East Midlands.
Matlock Bath railway station is a Grade II listed railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway. It is located in the village of Matlock Bath in Derbyshire, England. The station is unmanned by rail staff and is located on the Derwent Valley Line, 16.25 miles (26.15 km) north of Derby towards Matlock.
Belper railway station serves the town of Belper in Derbyshire, England. The station is located on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Leeds via Derby, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of Derby.
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of central Birmingham, England, in the north-western area of Birmingham City Centre, with a population of 19,000 in a 1.07-square-kilometre (264-acre) area.
Associated Architects is a leading AJ100 architectural firm with offices in Birmingham and Leeds, England. Founded in 1968, the practice has a broad portfolio of work including arts, commercial offices, residential, masterplanning and leisure and is particularly known for its work in education. It has received many national awards including over 30 RIBA Awards, together with the RIBA Sustainability Award. For its commercial work it has been awarded nine BCO Awards. The practice designed the George Davies Centre, at the University of Leicester, currently the largest (non-domestic) building in the UK to be Passivhaus accredited. It is also responsible for the design and delivery of Bartholomew Barn, the UK's first "multi-comfort" building, a benchmark pioneered by Saint Gobain. The building has set a new bar for sustainable architecture.
Draycott and Church Wilne is a civil parish within the Borough of Erewash, which is in the county of Derbyshire, England. Partially built up and otherwise rural, its population was 3,090 residents in the 2011 census. The parish is 100 miles (160 km) north west of London, 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) south east of the county city of Derby, and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the nearest market town of Long Eaton. It shares a boundary with the parishes of Breaston, Elvaston, Hopwell, Ockbrook and Borrowash, Risley and Shardlow and Great Wilne.
William Strutt, FRS (1756–1830) was a cotton spinner in Belper, Derbyshire, England, and later a civil engineer and architect, using iron frames in buildings to make them fire-resistant.
Bennerley Viaduct is a former railway bridge, now a foot and cycle bridge, between Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, in central England. It was completed in 1877 and carried the Great Northern Railway's (GNR) Derbyshire Extension over the River Erewash, which forms the county boundary, and its wide, flat valley. The engineer was Samuel Abbott, who worked under Richard Johnson, the GNR's chief engineer. The site required a bespoke design as the ground would not support a traditional masonry viaduct due to extensive coal mining. The viaduct consists of 16 spans of wrought iron, lattice truss girders, carried on 15 wrought iron piers which are not fixed to the ground but are supported by brick and ashlar bases. The viaduct is 60 feet high, 26 feet wide between the parapets, and over a quarter of a mile long. It was once part of a chain of bridges and embankments carrying the railway for around two miles across the valley but most of its supporting structures were demolished when the line closed in 1968. The only similar surviving bridge in the United Kingdom is Meldon Viaduct in Devon.
The Arkwright Society is a registered charity engaged in the conservation of industrial monuments in Derbyshire, focusing on the water mills of Lumsdale Valley, Ashford, Cromford and Slinter Wood. It is named after Richard Arkwright who founded the world's first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in Cromford in 1771. The society was founded after a festival in 1971 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of this feat.
Victoria Leeds is a shopping district and leisure area in central Leeds, comprising the 1990 Victoria Quarter, an arcaded complex of restored 19th century and contemporary shopping arcades, and the 2016 Victoria Gate development. Notable for its role in the regeneration of Leeds' city centre, and a programme of restoration and reuse which included commissiong the largest work of stained glass work in Europe, designed by artist Brian Clarke, to cover the newly-pedestrianised Queen Victoria Street, the 1990 scheme created a covered retail district of linked arcades. In 2016 ,the Victoria Quarter was merged with the newly built Victoria Gate complex to form the largest premium retail and leisure venue in Northern England. The district includes a casino and major stores such as Harvey Nichols and John Lewis and Partners.
Birmingham city centre, also known as Central Birmingham, is the central business district of Birmingham, England. The area was historically in Warwickshire. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is now defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. The city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan, which means there are now nine emerging districts and the city centre is approximately five times bigger.
Wyver is a locality within Belper civil parish, which is in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. The area takes up the western bank of the River Derwent just north of the former mills of Belper. Although overwhelmingly rural, the area has some notable associations within that industry and has been used for various activities throughout that time, and in recognition of these it has been made part of the wider UNESCO designated Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
Derby is a city and unitary authority area on the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original county town. As a unitary authority, Derby is administratively independent from Derbyshire County Council. The population of Derby is 263,490 (2022).
Pauline Elizabeth Latham, is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Derbyshire, serving until she stood down at the 2024 general election.
Nicholas Hare Architects is a UK architectural practice, with a portfolio of award-winning projects. These include schools, higher education, refurbishment, commercial projects, and buildings for the arts. Founded by Nicholas Hare in 1977, the practice is now a limited liability partnership with over 50 employees. The office is based in an old book-binding factory in Barnsbury Square in Islington. Nicholas Hare Architects LLP is a member of the UK Green Building Council and achieves BREEAM Excellent rating for several of its completed buildings.