Georgian Derbyshire Festival 2022

DERBYSHIRE in the Georgian Era was a place of wonder, of surprises and innovations – a place which attracted the attention of the rich and provided better homes for workers.

In the valley of the River Derwent, water was put to work to power the world’s first factories. Further north, the stark, beautiful landscapes of the Peak District and health-giving waters brought the county’s first tourists to Buxton and Matlock Bath.

To celebrate this fascinating era, the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Partnership and the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust are working together to provide three days of public events and activities to raise the profile of Derbyshire’s contribution to world history at that time.

The first Georgian Derbyshire Festival runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 September.  Each of the three days will have a different theme related to Derbyshire in Georgian times – for 2022 these themes are water, architecture, and society.

In the World Heritage Site, each day’s activities will be in one area of the 15-mile long stretch of valley – with architecture-related events in Derby and Darley Abbey on the Friday, water-based activities in Belper on the Saturday and society-themed things to do in Cromford on the Sunday.

Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust will host activities on all three days in the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms in the Crescent and walking tours within the town centre, with an exhibition at the nearby Buxton Museum and Art Gallery on each day.

After some deliberation, it has been agreed that the Georgian Derbyshire Festival 2022 will be going ahead on 16, 17 and 18 September. However, at this time of national mourning for our late Queen, it has been agreed that whilst activities will go ahead, there will be none of the planned celebratory bunting and external information boards outside the venues. It reduces our visibility but we wish to be mindful of those people in the surrounding communities and the impact of HM The Queen’s death, and feel it is appropriately respectful at this sad time.