Darley Park

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 1960s 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…

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. 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. 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…