Derby - Riverside Gardens
w/e 9 April 2006
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
There are a number of building projects and road alterations
taking place in the centre of Derby, some of them the cause of
long standing debate and some controversy but amid all the upset
the Riverside Gardens provide an oasis of calm where the citizens
can escape all the hustle and bustle. This short walk takes us
along the riverbank between two road bridges, from one carrying
a main thoroughfare through the city, St Alkmund's Way to the
bridge on Derwent Street.
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The river in question is the Derwent and the noise of the nearby
city centre traffic is lost against the sound of the water tumbling
over the weir as it makes its way downstream to link up with
the Trent.
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The Riverside Gardens are often used by city workers during their
lunch breaks and they provide a pleasant environment in fine
weather to sit and eat a snack whilst watching the birds. A sudden
flurry of feathers meant that the birds too knew it was time
for lunch, on this occasion provided by a gentleman with a bag
full of food.
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If you think you've seen a picture of this statue on the site
before, you could well be correct. It first appeared back in
2002 when it was situated in the Main Centre but since then (September
2005) it has been relocated on a temporary basis in the Riverside
Gardens whilst one of those building projects mentioned earlier
takes place. The statue 'A Boy and Ram' by Wilfred Dudeney is
scheduled to be returned to its original location in the city
centre in 2008 on completion of the construction of the Westfield
shopping centre.
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The Council House backs onto the Riverside Gardens near Derwent
Street and the neatly tended lawns and colourful borders serve
to enhance this pleasant walk.
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Derwent Street crosses the river by means of Exeter Bridge and
a plaque on the bridge recounts that it was rebuilt between 1929
and 1931 and opened on March 13th 1931 by the Rt. Hon Herbert
Morrison MP. PC. Pillars at the four corners of the bridge feature
bas relief sculptures of four famous Derby people. They are John
Lombe 1693-1722, a pioneer in the manufacture of silk; William
Hutton 1723-1815, who wrote the first published history of Derby
in 1791; Erasmus Darwin 1731-1802, the physician, botanist and
poet who lived in Derby for the last 20 years of his life and
Herbert Spencer 1820-1903, philosopher and originator of the
new science of sociology. Today they share the bridge not only
with the traffic but also with the pigeons that roost underneath
whilst another of those building projects - see the crane - goes
on nearby.
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