By Tim Lambert
c. 50 AD The Romans build a fort on the site of Belper Road
c. 80 AD The Romans build a fort on east side of the River Derwent. They call the fort Derventio.
873 The Danes found the town of Derby
917 The Saxons capture Derby. The little town flourishes. It has a mint and a market.
1086 Derby has a population of about 2,000
1154 Derby is given a charter (a document giving the people certain rights
1204 Derby is given a new charter
1230 Black friars come to Derby
1348 On the eve of the Black Death Derby has a population of about 3,500
1636 Derby suffers an outbreak of plague
1637 Derby is given a new charter
1665 Derby is struck by plague again. However the cloth industry in Derby flourishes.
1695 Derby gains a piped water supply
1717 England’s first silk mill opens in Derby
1726 All Saints Church is rebuilt
1745 Derby has a population of about 2,000
1745 The streets of Derby are lit by oil lamps
1768 A body of men called Improvement Commissioners is formed with powers to clean, pave, and light the streets of Derby
1773 George III visits Derby and agrees that a picture of a crown should appear on China, which is called Crown Derby
1810 An infirmary is built in Derby
1821 The streets of Derby are lit by gas
1839 St Marys Church is built
1840 Joseph Strutt gives the Arboretum to the town as a gift
1842 A new Town Hall is built
1867 Michael Bass gives land to the town to be used as a public park
1873 A public swimming pool is built
1877 A hospital for sick children is built
1878 Derby School of Art opens
1879 A public library and museum is built
1880 Horse drawn trams run through the streets
1894 Derby is lit by electricity for the first time
1904 The first electric trams run in Derby
1907 Rolls Royce decides to open a factory where cars and aircraft will be made
1910 The first museum in Derby opens
1916 A German airship bombs Derby killing 5 people
1924 A War Memorial is erected in Derby
1927 All Saints Church is made a Cathedral
1929 City Hospital is built
1930 The last electric tram runs in Derby
1931 Markeaton Park opens to the public
1933 A new bus station opens in Derby
1934 River Gardens open
1939-41 The Council House is built
Second World War 74 people in Derby are killed by German bombing
Early 1950s A large council estate is built at Mackworth
1969-71 An inner ring road is built at Derby
1974 An Industrial Museum opens
1975 The Eagle Centre is built. Derby Playhouse Theatre opens.
1976 Derby is twinned with Osnabruck
1977 The Assembly Rooms open. Derby is made a city.
1987 Markeaton Craft Village opens
1991 Pickfords House Museum opens
1995 The Ram sculpture is erected on Albion Street