Straddling the Derwent River, the cathedral city of Derby, its
foundations in the Roman occupation of Britain, can directly attribute
its contemporary status to the Industrial Revolution. Spinning mills
proliferated from the eighteenth century, initially relying on
waterpower to produce 100 per cent British cotton cloth. Victorian
ingenuity and innovation became synonymous with the rapid industrial and
commercial expansion that ensued; Arkwright and Pickford became
household names. Derby quickly evolved into a transport and ancillary
manufacturing hub in the Midlands, becoming a centre for the British
rail industry and the assembly of the iconic Rolls-Royce luxury motor
car. The subsequent development of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft
engine, which powered the legendary Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane,
launched the company's proud status to what it is today: the world's
second largest manufacturer of jet engines and, together with the Toyota
car assembly plant, the biggest employer in Derby. This book reveals the
rich and diverse history that is reflected in Derby's architecture as,
through successive decades of growth, its character, built of brick and
stone, underwent varying nuances of transformation. Sprinkled within
this panorama, however, are the symbols of a modern city: ultramodern
structures, thought by some to be the antithesis of Derby's true
architectural heritage.
