Derby's Heritage Part 35 - Both Sides Of The Derwent
w/e 25 November 2012
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
We ended Part 34 saying we would return to the River
Derwent between the new Riverlights building and the Crown Court
but when we returned we found that access to the Riverside Gardens
was blocked and the route we intended to follow led only to an
alternative entrance to the bus station. This resulted in quite
a bit of to-ing and fro-ing in order to capture the images below.
(Although we were not able to access the Riverside Gardens
on this occasion, images from a previous visit in 2006 are available
here.)
Cycling is not allowed in the Riverside Gardens even when access
is possible but there is an alternative route for this mode of
transport from Exeter Bridge down the opposite side of the river
from where we were able to view the new building, the on-going
work in the gardens and our intended route.
 So backtracking
to Exeter Bridge we followed the cycle route instead and in gardens
on this side of the river we came across a memorial at the foot
of a young oak tree. It read "This oak tree donated by the
Royal Society of St George was planted by the Mayor of Derby
Cllr. R. Webb assisted by Admiral Sir David Haslam on 21st October
2005 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Admiral Lord Nelson's
victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and to serve as a living memorial
to all those from the County of Derbyshire who have given their
lives whilst serving at sea."
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Whichever side of the river you are on the weir is an impressive
sight and the churning water drowns out the other noises of the
city centre. It is here too that Kingfishers are sometimes seen
along with Grey Wagtails, long tailed birds with grey upper feathers
and a yellow underside - but not today!
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As we continued down the river bank we passed under Holmes Bridge
named after the former Holmes Copper Rolling and Slitting Mills.
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Beyond Holmes Bridge the river is a lot calmer than near the
weir and the alternative cycle route continues down the road
on the left hand side. Our intended route was to have been along
the footpath through the trees on the right hand side which is
where we'll pick it up in the following images - as I said, this
part involved a lot of to-ing and fro-ing but when the Riverside
Gardens reopen, it will be a lot easier.
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This then is the path we would have followed with Bass's Recreation
Ground to the right had our original plans not been thwarted.
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The path leads to a footbridge over the river which is where
the alternative cycle route rejoins the main path.
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Looking back from the path across Bass's Recreation Ground we
can see the city centre with the skateboard park in the middle
distance. The Recreation Ground is the former site of Holmes
Mills which was originally built in 1734 but was demolished in
1860. Michael Thomas Bass MP gave the freehold of the site to
Derby seven years later and at one time of day this public open
space contained an open-air swimming pool but this was filled
in after the Second World War.
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  Although
still close to the city centre, the area by the river flanked
by a selection of tree species (left) is home to a wide variety
of wildlife including the Short Tailed Field Vole. The path crosses
a water channel (right) - the Mill Fleam - where Freshwater Crayfish
have made their home. From near to the Mill Fleam we get our
first view of part of the next bridge spanning the river. This
was built in 1840 - 41 to carry the North Midland Railway and
is called Five Arches Bridge.
I hesitate to say where we will continue in the next part after
the experience this time but we hope to be continuing along the
river and heading towards Pride Park.
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