derby museums
Derby Museums is an independent charitable trust operating three museums: the
Museum and Art Gallery, Museum of Making and Pickford’s House. It cares for the
collections of cultural heritage on behalf of Derby City Council for the people
of Derby. It also houses the Royal Lancers Museum. Derby Museums has unique
cultural assets. Derby Silk Mill is widely regarded as the site of the world’s
first modern factory and is in the Derwent Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site,
it has recently opened as the UK’s first Museum of Making. Derby Museums has the
finest collection of work by Joseph Wright of Derby, the 18th century artist of
the Enlightenment and is ‘Designated’ by Arts Council England as a collection of
national significance. Derby’s identity was 300 years in the making, and the
Enlightenment spirit of creativity and invention resonates today.
