DERBY PARKS
The Arboretum
The Arboretum was England's first public park. It was given to the Town Council of Derby in 1835 by Joseph Strutt - a local cotton mill owner and first mayor of the Reformed Borough of Derby to provide the people of Derby with a place for exercise and recreation.
John Claudius Loudon, a prolific horticultural writer and designer, was asked to design the park, and it was opened to the public in 1840. It has a unique heritage value and is included in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. Today the park still has many of its original features and buildings. It has been extended to accommodate new recreational facilities, without altering it's historical significance.
There are some notable trees in the park, a lot fewer than when the park was first established but they do include the Red Oak, introduced from America, the Indian Bean Tree and the Silver Pendant lime.
