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.