Derby can trace its history back to Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Danish settlements. The medieval market town grew in importance as industrialisation developed and was where Bonnie Prince Charlie stopped his army in 1745. Eighteenth century Derby was remarkable for its industrial innovators and cultural figures such as the painter Joseph Wright of Derby and Erasmus Darwin and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries became a centre for railway engineering and car and aero-engine manufacturing with Rolls-Royce. Quirky Derby explores the more unusual side of the city’s history, its fascinating characters, strange folklore and unexpected places and objects, including suffragette Alice Wheeldon, the Allenton hippopotamus, the origins of the Derby Ram folk tale, catacombs beneath the city centre and much, much more.Quirky Derby celebrates the unusual and often strange history of Derby and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Derby will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the city’s quirky history.
