Darley Abbey

the city park

Darley Abbey is a former historic mill village, now a suburb of the city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. It is located approximately 1.4 mile (2 km) north of the city centre, on the west bank of the River Derwent, and forms part of the Darley ward along with Little Chester and the West End. The settlement dates back to the medieval era, when it was the site of an Augustinian monastery. In the 18th century, the Evans family developed their planned industrial mill village in the area; Darley Abbey is now part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. The area has been a part of the city (originally borough) of Derby since 1968 and is counted as part of Darley Ward.

The Augustinian monastery of Darley Abbey has a rather confused foundation. In 1154, Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby made a donation to St Helen's Priory, Derby for them to establish a new religious house. He donated the churches of Uttoxeter and Crich, an oratory and cemetery at Osmaston, and tithes from his property in Derby and land in Oddebrook and Aldwark. Darley Abbey received numerous donations, mainly from the burgesses of Derby, including land at Crich, Wessington, Youlgreave, Lea, Dethick, Tansley, Wigwell (where it held a grange) and Little Chester, and the advowsons of the churches at Brailsford, Bolsover, Pentrich, Ripley, Ashover, Scarcliffe, South Wingfield, and St Peter's, St Michael's, and St Werburgh's in Derby. There are only two remaining buildings from the monastic period. One is now the Abbey Pub (also known as the Abbey Inn), a Grade II* listed building. Constructed in the 15th century, it is thought to have been part of the Abbot's residence. The building appears to have been roofless for most of its post dissolution life; a new roof was added in the 1920s and the building reinforced in the 1950s following some movement within the walls. The other monastic survivor makes up part of a private dwelling on Abbey Lane. James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley was buried at the Abbey after his death at the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459. Darley Abbey was formerly a chapelry, in 1894 Darley Abbey became a separate civil parish, on 1 April 1968 the parish was abolished and merged with Derby. In 1961 the parish had a population of 2281. It is now in the unparished area of Derby, in the Derby district.

The industrial roots of Darley Abbey date back to the monastic period. After then, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, a series of water powered mills – for corn, flint, leather and paper – were developed on land between Darley Street and the west bank of the River Derwent. The land on the opposite bank was acquired by Thomas Evans for his cotton mills in 1778. These mills later became known as the 'Boar's Head Mills' (the Evans family crest was a Boar's Head) and were constructed between 1782 and 1830. The Boar's Head Mills specialised in quality thread for sewing,
embroidery and haberdashery. The site contains five main mills and a comprehensive range of ancillary structures, including warehouses, offices, stables, bobbin shops and domestic buildings. The largest of the buildings is 6 storeys high. The oldest building, Long Mill, has an attic floor which was (until 1819) used as a school room where children employed at the mill received a basic education. The mills were originally water powered. The weirs on the River Derwent created the head of water which powered the wheels that drove the machinery in the mill buildings. Eventually, steam power was used to supplement the water power. The Evans' involvement in the cotton mills ceased with the death of Walter Evans II in 1903. In 1905, John Peacock, hitherto manager, bought the mills from the estate. The Peacock family ran the business until 1943 when it was sold to J & P Coats of the Coats Viyella Group. Textile use ceased in 1970. In 1969 the sale of the mills for other uses began. Today, Darley Abbey Mills is home to a variety of engineering and light industrial businesses. Since 2010, the focus of the Darley Abbey Mills has shifted away from light industrial uses towards customer facing entertainment and retail and other commercial office uses.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Darley Abbey had no church. Villagers had to travel to St Alkmund's Church, Derby until 1819. Then, Walter Evans, one of the family who owned the mills, paid for the building of St Matthew's Church with a small contribution from a central government fund. The architect was Henry Moses Wood of Nottingham (who also designed St Matthew's School). The design was in the Gothic Perpendicular style. The stone used in its construction was quarried locally from King's Croft Allestree, Pentrich, and Wirksworth. The church was substantially extended in 1895–96.

Because of the historical significance of Darley Abbey, much of the village has been designated as a conservation area and, as such, it is subject to enhanced development controls. The conservation area includes the mills, the housing associated with the mills, the park and the church. Darley Abbey is also part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site which stretches from Matlock Bath to Derby.

Darley Park is an picturesque park featuring many different gardens and wildlife areas. Given to the people of Derby in 1931 by the Evans family, who lived at Darley Hall. The Hall was demolished in the early 1960s, but parts of the original ground floor remain, now used as terracing for a small cafe. Darley Park used to play host to the Darley Park open air concert, which used to be one of the largest free concerts in the country. Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy is one of the largest schools in Derby with around 1500 pupils. The school dates back to 1986, but with several schools previously occupying the site including St Ralph Sherwin. Saint Mary's Catholic School is a historic coeducational Catholic school that can trace its roots back to 1813/1814 and has since moved to a new building on three separate occasions.