About this Website
By Christopher Harris
This website is about The Arboretum, Joseph Strutt's gift to the people of Derby. The Rose Hill Sports and Recreation Area along with the Heart of the Park community, admin block caf and sports block are new additions to the site, offering a valuable resource for the local community and visitors to the historical Arboretum. This website will also serve to promote the interests of the local community, however it is not possible to promote individual groups other than the Friends of Derby Arboretum. Any support shown towards the caf is not to be seen as a commercial endorsement as this website does not carry commercial advertising.
Offers of sponsorship for this web-site would be gratefully considered
The Author (Webmaster) Chris Harris explains his reasons for creating this website.
I have lived in Derby all of my life, the earliest years (up to the age of 3) living at Wilmot Street, close to the Arboretum, where my mother would take me on her days off work.
I continued to visit family members who lived close to the Arboretum throughout the1960s and 1970s spending many hours in the park, of which I have many fond memories.
Right, Chris age 3
My most vivid memories, starting from 1960, as a 7 year old, are of the hoop railings around the grass, the "Keep Off The Grass" signs, the fish in the fountain pond, Sir Henry Royce's Statue, the spooky "Vinegar Stone" and the birds in the Aviary. I also remember watching some monkeys that were kept in a cage, as I have recently been informed, in the small aviary (now removed) next to the Grove Street Lodge.
I moved back into the area 25 years ago, and was saddened by the dilapidated and neglected state of this once beautiful place.
I live less than five minutes walk from the Arboretum, and wanted to find out more about its history, but was disappointed to discover that there is very little information generally available, with the exception of tourist information leaflets which only gave a very general outline history of the park.
It occurred to me that there must be many other Derbeians and ex-pat Derbeians all over the UK and the rest of the world who would also have similar fond memories of the Arboretum, so I decided to create this web site to share the Arboretum's history and keep everyone up to date with the progress of its refurbishment.
I will continue to give an insight into the history of the park. I also feel that we should pay tribute to the man who gave England its first Public Park - Let us all raise a toast to Joseph Strutt.
This website has been a "labour of love" for the city I was born into and of the Arboretum, which has been close to the hearts of generations of my family and tens of thousands of other Derby born people. Since starting work on this site and my book, I feel that I have come to know Joseph Strutt and John Claudius Loudon as "personal friends". this may sound daft, but I have read so much about the two men and their families, the emotional stress of Loudon's illness and the love and dedication of Jane, his wife. Joseph Strutt was loving father and husband who lost both his dearly beloved wife, Isabella and his son, at an early age.
I have compiled all of the information I have found so far, along with snippets from my own relatives and close neighbours, also information offered by many people who live in the area, and will continue to update the website as more information comes to light.
I hope you enjoy viewing these web pages as much as I have enjoyed researching and creating them.
This Website is dedicated to Joseph Strutt, John and Jane Loudon and to my family, generations of whom have lived in this part of Derby for over 170 years.
Best regards
Chris Harris
Chris (Me), age one, with my Dad in the garden of my grandparents' Wilmot Street home.
Above, (left to right) my Mum with brother Mark and me (Chris-age 7) right, Summer 1960.
This photo was taken by my father on Markeaton Park, my second favourite park, near to where we lived between 1965 and 1979.
by The JavaScript Source
Researching and writing the Website
Above: The Arboretum "A" symbol was possibly designed by Joseph Strutt and was replicated on the old seats. I have used this, the oldest symbol available, to represent the Arboretum in honour of the Founder and Donor, Joseph Strutt.
Some examples still survive on the remaining seats from the 1980s.
My first step was to approach the Local Studies Library at Irongate where there is a collection of news clippings, independent studies, reports and old books that deal with different aspects of the Arboretum. The staff at the Local Studies are very obliging and helpful.
The most interesting find was a book about the Arboretum that was actually written by the man who created it in 1840, John Claudius Loudon and contains a detailed account of the events extracted from the local newspapers of the period. The Newspaper reporter's writing style, which may now be considered old fashioned, is so vivid in its description of events that I have included a complete copy of the account of the "Grand Opening Ceremony" within these web pages.
I approached the Derby Parks Department who were organising a "Friends" group for the Arboretum at the time, and met up with Dawn Dagley, (Parks Liaison Officer) who has been very helpful with locating a fine collection of old photos and further research work, undertaken for the Lottery Heritage bid.
The research work has produced some unexpected results, results that conflict with what has been previously written. I suppose many historians come up against such conflicting information.
In my continuing research I have, in all cases, relied on the earliest sources of information in preference to later works. Indeed I make no apology for publishing any findings which conflict with the officially accepted version.
The following is a prime example of such a conflict between new and earlier information sources:
The Arboretum Square entrance has been credited as a joint effort by Loudon and Duesbury and has been dated at 1853, ten years after Loudon's death. According to a newspaper article of 1889, the lodge and Orangery quote "may easily mistakenly be attributed to Mr. Loudon, however the building was completed by the end of 1850 and was designed by Henry Duesbury, the Borough Architect". A wood-cut of 1851 showing Emanuel Jackson's balloon ascent, shows the Orangery with its clock tower and the fountain.
Since 2003 I have been looking into some of the origins of the land on which the Arboretum is laid out. The most intriguing is that of the stories of a gallows and public executions, some land purchased by the council in 1845, apparently included Upper and Lower Gallows Close. Thanks to further research and the involvement of Ron McKeown, who writes the Heritage feature for the Derby Trader, I can confirm that there was indeed a gallows at the Loudon Street Entrance and a Gibbet once stood in what is now the garden of No. 2 Madeley Street (thanks to Mr. Woodward for that information).
Thanks to Tony Griffin for locating the two excellent photos of the Crimean cannons, and thanks to the Derby Evening Telegraph for allowing me to use the one showing a young schoolboy sitting on one of the cannons, thus providing an accurate image of the weapon.
As to the existence of the "Crystal Palace" doubted by some, I can now confirm from newspaper reports dating back to 1865, that it did exist but was demolished sometime during the early 1890s.
Curriculum Vitae
Chris Harris is Vice Chair of the Arboretum Friends Group and recognised by some local historians as "Derby's Arboretum Expert".
Educated at Allenton, Mackworth and Derby College of Art & Technology during the 1960s.
Chris has over 20 years of experience working within his local community as a Project Manager, Education Council Representative, Publicity Officer for a Derby based children's holiday charity and volunteer worker for a number of local and Derbyshire based projects.
He managed the BBC Radio Derby Community/Voluntary Service Help Line, which offered support to over 5,000 local and Derbyshire - East Staffordshire Community and Voluntary Groups during the late 1980s - 1990. Also produced a number of radio programmes covering local community, health, childcare, Education and Volunteer issues.
Worked for Derby Council for Voluntary Service during 1991 as IT development worker - grant giving trust database developer and Community IT adviser.
He was involved with the Derby Pride project of 1993 and has assisted in the production of radio and video programmes for Derby Museum Services and The Royal School for The Deaf.
Chris also has 4 years experience of working within a large industrial complex, dealing with Site Services operating procedures, quality management and health and safety procedures.
Chris' contract as a part time I.C.T. Tutor for a Normanton based training college ended due to Derby College's withdrawal of financial support and is currently employed by a major international outsourcing company. Chris often writes articles for Ron McKeown's Heritage Column in the Derby Trader, and is a regular correspondent to the local newspaper letters and comments pages with furter contributions to the Bygones pages.
Derby, England