The proximity of the Peak
District might lead you to think that DERBY , twenty-five
miles northeast of Lichfield, could prove to be an interesting
stopping-off point. Its workaday centre has several long and
handsome nineteenth-century stone terraces and its cathedral's
pinnacled tower soars high above its modest surroundings on Queen
Street.
Of the city's several museums,
easily the best is the attractively laid-out Derby Museum and Art
Gallery on the
Strand (Mon 11am-5pm, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; free), a
five-minute walk from the central market place. The museum exhibits
a splendid collection of Derby porcelain, several hundred pieces
tracking through the different phases and styles from the late
eighteenth century until today. The museum also possesses a first-rate
collection of the work of Joseph Wright (1734-97), a local artist
generally regarded as one of the most talented English painters
of his century. Wright's bread and butter came from portraiture,
though his attempt to fill the boots of Gainsborough, when the
latter moved from Bath to London, came unstuck - his more forceful
style did not satisfy his genteel customers and Wright soon hightailed
it back to Derby.
With fast and frequent
connections to many major cities - including Sheffield and Birmingham - Derby train station is a mile
to the southeast of the city centre along Midland Road and then
London Road; it's a dreary walk, so take a taxi if you can. The
bus station is about half a mile southeast of the centre. Right
in the heart of town, on the market place, is the tourist office
(Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-2.30pm; tel
01332/255802).
home page / Europe / United Kingdom / Derbyshire, England
US and Canada:
1-800-780-5733
Europe: 00-800-11-20-11-40
Use reference code: 47909