Events
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BELPER 250 EXHIBITION – BELPER 250
An exhibition reflecting 250 years of history in Belper, the World’s First Cotton Mill Town. Drop in during public events to see the displays. Venue: No.28 Market Place, Belper Time: Drop in during public events to see the displays Cost: Free
Field to Fashion: from sheep to the clothes you wear
Ever wondered where your clothes really come from? Step into Field to Fashion to discover an extraordinary story of transformation. Through this exhibition, you will explore the journey of raw British fleece from sheep farming into fibre, you’ll see how people create the clothes you cherish and may even take for granted. Thanks to British Wool, you’ll […]
WRIGHT OF DERBY: FROM THE SHADOWS EXHIBITION
In an interplay of light and darkness, Joseph Wright of Derby conjures sublime pictures of discovery and learning. Wright of Derby: From the Shadows is the first major exhibition dedicated to the British artist’s ‘candlelight’ paintings. Join us as we celebrate and look again at his most admired works. Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery Time: Please see […]
BELPER 250 EXHIBITION – BELPER 250
An exhibition reflecting 250 years of history in Belper, the World’s First Cotton Mill Town. Drop in during public events to see the displays. Venue: No.28 Market Place, Belper Time: Drop in during public events to see the displays Cost: Free
THE STRUTT FAMILY’S GLOBAL COTTON CONNECTIONS
An exhibition looking at the Strutt connection to global cotton markets, and the plantations which used enslaved workers. Includes a display of artefacts relating to enslavement, labelled ‘The Cruel Cost of Cotton’. Venue: Belper Library, Derwent Street, Belper Time: During normal library opening hours Cost: Free
LEAWOOD PUMPHOUSE OPEN (STATIC)
Leawood Pumphouse was built in 1849 to pump water from the River Derwent into Cromford Canal. It is open to view today thanks to Middleton Top and Leawood Pump Volunteer group. Venue: Leawood Pumphouse, Cromford Canal, Access via High Peak Junction Car Park, Lea Bridge (south of Cromford), Derbyshire, DE4 5AA Time: 12 – 4.30pm Cost: Donations gratefully received. […]
WALK: CHARTISM AND THE 1842 STRIKE – BELPER 250
Walk led by Roger Tanner, focusing first on the growth of the Chartists in Belper, and the trades/unions, involved. Then it will tell the story of the 1842 General Strike as it impacted in Belper, Holbrook and Derby. The walk through the town will include the former Hospital, sites of work places, homes and meeting […]
ALCHEMY LIVE – A TRIBUTE TO MARK KNOPFLER AND DIRE STRAITS – ST PETER’S CHURCH, BELPER
Alchemy Live are all about the music, no lookalike competitions here. They recreate the music of Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits as accurately as possible, with a painstaking attention to detail. It is over thirty years since Dire Straits last performed but their music and legacy lives on with Alchemy Live who will feature two […]
ANTIQUES, VINTAGE AND COLLECTABLES FAIR – CROMFORD MILLS
Cromford Mills Antiques Fair presents a wide range of quality antiques, vintage items, and collectables, all set within the historic surroundings of the Cromford Mills complex. A varied selection of knowledgeable traders offer stock that includes antiques, decorative objects, traditional furnishings, curiosities, and distinctive one-off pieces. The fair provides a relaxed and informal environment for […]
BRIDGE HILL ICE HOUSE, BELPER WALK
Very little has survived of Bridge Hill House, main home to the Strutts who built and owned the Belper mills by the Derwent. The Ice House is the best surviving structure, hidden in a private garden. This is the first public access to the site in 7 years, a rare chance to understand how the […]
PRESERVING BELPER’S INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE – BELPER 250
A project coordinated by Belper Historical Society (BHS), aiming to engage with communities in and around Belper who may have relatives who worked in the many Belper factories and have treasures hidden away in cupboards and dusty attics. Volunteer BHS ‘curators’ will help to collect, organise and preserve factory-related photographs, documents and artefacts, creating virtual […]
FORGE DAY AT HIGH PEAK JUNCTION RAILWAY WORKSHOPS
Have-a-go at being a blacksmith in the oldest railway workshop in the world! Learn basic blacksmithing techniques and make a poker or a toasting fork for you to take home. Venue: High Peak Junction Visitor Centre, DE4 5AA (signposted from the A6 at Cromford) Time: 30 min time slots between 10am and 4.30pm Cost: £25 per […]
LEAWOOD PUMPHOUSE OPEN (STATIC)
Leawood Pumphouse was built in 1849 to pump water from the River Derwent into Cromford Canal. It is open to view today thanks to Middleton Top and Leawood Pump Volunteer group. Venue: Leawood Pumphouse, Cromford Canal, Access via High Peak Junction Car Park, Lea Bridge (south of Cromford), Derbyshire, DE4 5AA Time: 12 – 4.30pm Cost: Donations gratefully received. […]
AN EVENING OF MUSICAL CELEBRATION WITH KAREN ENGLAND, OPERA BABE – BELPER 250
Born in Derbyshire, Karen was a member of The National Youth Choir of Great Britain before doing a degree in Music and English at the University of Leeds, followed by a Postgraduate Vocal Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Karen has her roots firmly in Belper and enjoys singing in the Royal […]
MIDDLETON TOP WINDING ENGINE OPERATING DAY
See the world’s oldest beam engine of its type in action. Discover how it pulled wagons up and down steep hills on one of the world’s first long distance railways. Venue: Middleton Top, Middleton-By-Wirksworth, DE4 4LS (from the A6 at Cromford, climb the B5036 and follow the signs) Time: 12pm – 4.30pm Cost: £6.00, concessions £3.50, car […]
LEAWOOD PUMPHOUSE OPEN (IN STEAM) HERITAGE OPEN DAYS
Experience the power of this great steam engine. The heat of the boilers, the smell of the grease and power of the wave as tons of water are pumped from the River Derwent into the Cromford Canal. It is open today and in steam thanks to Middleton Top and Leawood Pump Volunteer group. Venue: Leawood Pumphouse, Cromford […]
WALK: WHAT ARE THE STRUTT LINKS TO THE PENTRICH REVOLUTION? – BELPER 250
The Strutts supported the rebels declining jury service and pushing for pardons. Joseph Douglas Strutt wrote to his cousin Edward about the executions: ‘People are flocking into Derby… good God, are these things to be suffered much longer in our once free and happy land.’ There’s much more… Venue: Start from outside the Ritz Cinema, […]
WILLIAM STRUTT, FRS: A TRADESMAN OF SOME EMINENCE – BELPER 250
Talk by Ian Jackson for Belper Historical Society. As William Strutt left no journals or diary, we need to look at contemporary, third party, accounts of his work and legacies, to understand why he was so respected by his peers, including his appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This talk traces his life, […]
BELPER 250 ROCKS MUSIC FESTIVAL – 3 DAY EVENT
Belper Rocks Music Festival Belper Cricket Club | Times TBC for 7.30pm Belper Rocks weekend music festival- marking 250 years of the first Stutt Mill in Belper a Derwent Valley World Heritage Site, there’s a 3 Day Rock Event, in conjunction with the Belper Meadows Cricket Club. This will be a Not For Profit event to […]
BLACKSMITH EXPERIENCE DAY – HIGH PEAK JUNCTION RAILWAY WORKSHOP
High Peak Junction’s enthusiast blacksmith will walk you through the creation of a simple metalworking object, such as a barbecue fork, fire poker, or coat hook. Along the way, you’ll learn about the history of blacksmithing, lighting and managing the fire, and all the techniques you need, using the workshop’s original forge and hand-pumped bellows […]
CROMFORD 250: NORTH STREET CROMFORD and CROMFORD MILLS HERITAGE OPEN DAYS
Come and celebrate 250 years of industrial transformation in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Explore the Workers Housing on North Street with the Landmark Trust 2026 marks 250 years of the housing on North Street, Cromford. These houses were the first industrial housing in the world! The Landmark Trust are offering a unique […]
FORGE DAY AT HIGH PEAK JUNCTION RAILWAY WORKSHOPS
Have-a-go at being a blacksmith in the oldest railway workshop in the world! Learn basic blacksmithing techniques and make a poker or a toasting fork for you to take home. Venue: High Peak Junction Visitor Centre, DE4 5AA (signposted from the A6 at Cromford) Time: 30 min time slots between 10am and 4.30pm Cost: £25 per […]
ENSLAVEMENT AND THR STRUTTS OF BELPER: UNDERSTANDING, ACKNOWLEDGING AND REPRESENTING THE HISTORIES AND LEGACIES OF COTTON TEXTILE PRODUCTION IN THE DERWENT VALLEY MILLS WORLD HERITAGE SITE – BELPER 250
An illustrated talk by Dr Susanne Seymour, from the School of Geography and Institute for the Study of Slavery, University of Nottingham. This talk will draw on historical research and collaborative heritage interpretation work on enslavement and the Strutts undertaken as part of the Global Cotton Connections projects since 2014. Event sponsored by Unite and […]
BERKINS COURT – A COMMUNITY MADE AND SHAPED BY THE STRUTTS – BELPER 250
Visit the courtyard where some of the first housing to attract millworkers to Belper was built. See how settlement design was used by the Strutts to induce (and keep) a workforce in Belper. Find out who came here and how our community changed over time. Historical information and pictures on display in Stones Garage with […]
The Unitarian Chapel, Field Row: Open Day with Exhibitions – Belper 250
To support the open day at Berkins Court, the Unitarian Chapel will be open, with exhibitions about Belper and its history, and information about the Chapel Jedidiah Strutt provided for the town. With free short guided walks at 11.30am and 2.30pm down to Berkins Court in time for the guided tours at 12 noon and […]
BELPER IN THE FRAME: FROM THE 1920s TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR – BELPER 250
Fifth in a series of six talks by Adrian Farmer, looking at the past 250 years in Belper through historic images. This session concentrates on images from between the wars, and during the Second World War. Venue: No.28, Market Place, Belper Time: 6pm Cost: Entry £5 Booking: Essential. Refreshments available for a donation. To book, […]
