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A TOUR
OF DERBY
PARKS
AND
GARDENS
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An independent
review of the largest parks and gardens in the city of Derby.
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L
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PARKS AND GARDENS
Derby is
fortunate in having many fine parks and gardens all within easy
reach of the city centre.
There
are in fact more than 300 areas of public open space
in the city, covering over 2,000 acres of
land available for everyone to enjoy.
The
Arboretum claims the distinction of being the first public park in
England. It was donated
to the people of Derby in 1840 by local mill
owner Joseph Strutt.
The larger parks
have a wide range of facilities that attract both local people
and visitors to the city.
Particularly popular are the
events, which are staged throughout the year.
These include the
popular Darley Park Orchestral Concert in
September and the Bonfire and Firework
Display on Markeaton Park in November.
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Markeaton Park |
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Darley Abbey Park |
PARKS
Originally parks
were used mainly for hunting and for the benefit of the
occupiers of country houses and their visitors.
They were open
spaces where buildings, industry and farming were not permitted.
In more recent
years well-designed parks, streets and squares have played a
crucial role in the development of our towns and cities.
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PUBLIC PARKS
Nowadays, when we
speak of parks, we are usually referring to areas of open space
provided for recreational uses.
Parks in this
sense are usually owned and provided by the government. They are often divided into two categories: active and passive
recreation.
As the expression
implies - Active Recreation
often involves
cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds and ball
fields.
On the other hand
- Passive Recreation is that which emphasizes the open-space
aspect of a park including picnic areas and trails.
Alvaston Park |
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On
Thursday 17 September 1840, Joseph Strutt handed
over the deeds of the Arboretum to the town council,
in Derby.
This was followed by a large procession
from the town hall to the Arboretum, which marked
the beginning of three days of public festivities,
following the birth of England's first public park.
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DERBY PARKS
CHALLENGE
Visit all the
parks and gardens currently featured on this website by
clicking the links below.
If you live
locally why not try the Parks
Challenge at the foot of this column? All the answers are to
be found in the features.
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DERBY FACILITIES
There are over 50 children's playgrounds
in Derby. A large number of sporting
facilities are spread across the city, which include
...bowling greens, cricket pitches, fishing lakes, five-a-side
courts, football pitches, golf courses, pitch and putt, tennis
courts, basketball courts, BMX and skateboarding
tracks and orienteering courses.
Derby City Parks
Department is responsible for approximately four
square miles of council-owned land in the
city,
including parks, public open spaces and
roadside verges.
The departmental staff ensure that the quality
of the land under their control is
adequately maintained and that
standards of cleanliness and health and
safety are achieved by regular inspection.
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DISCOVER DERBY
- PARKS CHALLENGE
Test your knowledge of the parks featured by answering
ten questions.
Click
here for the
questions |
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Return to
Derby Home Page
Back to the top of the
Page
www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk
is an independent, not for profit website.
No
recommendation of any establishment is implied by inclusion on this
website. |
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An independent profile of a city surrounded by beautiful
countryside, situated at the heart of Britain. |
A city of considerable character, surrounded by attractive
countryside. With the Peak District National Park, the second
most visited National Park in the world, only a few miles to the
north and the National Forest a short distance away to the
south.
Located near the centre of the
country, Derby has excellent communications and is well served by road, rail
and air. The city lies at the junction of the main A6, A38 and
A52 roads and junction 25 of the M1 is 15 minutes drive
away. East Midlands
Airport is an easy 12 miles drive to the south east of Derby.
DISCOVER DERBYSHIRE AND THE PEAK
DISTRICT
1. To return to
the main site click the link below.
Return to the Home
Page
2.
To return to the contents page of the main website click the link below.
Return to the Contents
Page
Further
features on Derby and the surrounding area will be added on a regular
basis, so bookmark this site to avoid missing anything.
www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk
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EXPLORE
DERBY |
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Three
heritage trails round the city centre and another six
visiting the suburbs of
Allestree,
Chellaston,
Darley
Abbey,
Markeaton,
Mickleover and
Spondon, together with a large number of
images
combine to give you a real taste of city life.
Six popular
country walks enable you to enjoy the beautiful
countryside round Derby.
Discover Derby
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WILDLIFE WALKS |
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Although a city,
Derby still has the feel of a large market town and with plenty of open
space, wonderful parks and the River Derwent running north to south through
the city, it has been described as a 'city in the countryside'. A selection
of walks and events are organised annually to help you
to enjoy Derby's abundant wildlife.
Derby Wildlife Walks |
Allestree Park
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