Derby

Derby, city, central England, located on the River Derwent. On April 1, 1997, Derby was administratively separated from the rest of the county of Derbyshire (see Derby City). It remains, however, part of Derbyshire geographically, and for ceremonial and related purposes. Derby is a railway centre and since the 18th century has been famous for the manufacture of Royal Crown Derby, a high-quality soft-paste porcelain. Other industries include the manufacture of Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, motor-vehicle parts, electrical apparatus, and chemicals. The Anglican cathedral of All Saints has a fine early 16th-century tower, although most of the building dates from the 18th century. Derby has several museums, including the Royal Crown Derby museum. Several technical schools and an ancient grammar school are located in the city, as well as the University of Derby (until 1992, Derby College of Higher Education).

The Romans established an outpost called Derventio near the site of present-day Derby. An Anglo-Saxon settlement existed there, and in the 9th century it became a Danish borough. The first true factory in England is believed to have been the silk mill built in Derby in 1717 by John Lombe, using the waters of the Derwent to power the machines. The manufacture of porcelain began in 1750; royal patents granted by King George III (1773) and Queen Victoria (1890) allowed the manufacturers to call their products first Crown Derby and then Royal Crown Derby. The town’s prosperity increased with the arrival of the canal and then, in the mid-19th century, the railway. The portrait painter Joseph Wright was born there in 1734. Derby was granted city status in 1977 and was the county town of Derbyshire until 1997. Population 221,700 (2001 estimate).