Derby Arboretum

Derby Arboretum, England’s oldest surviving public park and is a much loved place at the heart of the local community since its opening in 1840. The restoration of the park completed in 2005 resulted in the rejuvenation of the historical buildings and landscape and the provision of new facilities, including the Heart of the Park building, a café, changing rooms, a new play area, sports courts and educational facilities.

The park is cared for by an enthusiastic team who are committed to promoting health and education and providing a vibrant and active park, enjoyed by as many people as possible.

The café provides a focal point close to the innovative play area. The sports courts and cricket nets are well used by older children and adults. These modern facilities complement the heritage landscape, fountain, buildings and superb collection of trees, which include the tallest lime tree of its type in Britain. The national significance of this historical park has been highlighted by being featured in the BBC programme Great Railway Journeys and the BBC book 100 places that made Britain Great and has been included in the BBC 2 programme 'The Secret History of the British Garden' with Monty Don, a four part series looking at the development of gardens throughout the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries which was broadcast in late November/December 2015.

The Park has a strong Friends group and is used for many community events and activities. The Park celebrated its 180th anniversary in September 2020. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible to hold public events on the park, so instead the Friends along with support from partner organisations, held a week long celebration on line which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/friendsofderbyarboretum. Artists from the Arboretum Arts residency programme, draw inspiration from the Arboretum's beautiful landscape. Spiral Arts provide a programme of arts/craft activities throughout the year and local schools visit the park on a regular basis and work with staff to help improve the park so it remains a beautiful asset for future generations to enjoy. Many of these activities have continued on line and are promoted through the YouTube channel.

The restoration work on the community wildlife area has recently started following a 'community challenge' week in September 2019, bring out over 100 people to undertake various projects across the site and creating a new area that is being used by local schools for forest school activities.