Past

Originally a Roman settlement, Derby's origins date back some 2,000 years.  Indeed, part of our city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Derby began as a Roman fort. Following the Roman invasion of Briatain they built a fort west of the river Derwent. Then, in about 80 AD, they built a new fort on the east bank of the river. The Romans called the fort Derventio. 

There may have been a Saxon village on the site of Derby after the Romans left. However the Danes founded the town of Derby about 873 AD.  The name Derby is derived from the Danish words "deor" by meaning deer settlement.  In 917 the native Saxons captured Derby and it became part of the kingdom of England.

During the Middle Ages Derby grew in size and prosperity and may have had a population of around 3,500 in the 14th century. By then Derby was quite a large and important town.

During the 16th and 17th centuries Derby continued to grow in prosperity. Its cloth industry flourished. Other industries in the 17th century included brewing and, from the end of the century clockmaking.

In the 18th century Derby was a fair sized market town. In 1717 England's first silk mill opened in Derby, today recognised by UNESCO as the world's first factory.  In 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie and his troops occupied Derby in their ill-fated march to London before returning to Scotland. From the middle of the 18th century porcelain was made in Derby, a tradition retained to this day at Royal Crown Derby. 

From the Industrial Revolution to Lara Croft!

Derby was home to the industrial revolution and is today the UK's leading city for high technology employment.

Derby became home to the railways in the 19th Century and in 1908 Rolls Royce decided to locate their activity in Derby - first car production and later aerospace.

Creativity and its application make up Derby's DNA.  Derby had the world's first factory and the country's first park (The Arboretum).  More recently Derby gave the world icons from the Spitfire engine to Lara Croft.  Today the city excels in creative industries and is home to the world's leading clock makers, Smith of Derby and Royal Crown Derby who have been creating world leading ceramics for over 250 years.