The Arboretum has several claims to fame. It was England’s first public park and also inspiration for New York’s famous Central Park.
The park was given to the city of Derby in 1835 by Joseph Strutt – a local cotton mill owner and first mayor of the Reformed Borough of Derby to provide local people with a place for exercise and recreation.
John Claudius Loudon, a prolific horticultural writer and designer, was asked to design the park, and it was opened to the public in 1840. It has a unique heritage value and is included in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. Today the park still has many of its original features and buildings. It has been extended to accommodate new recreational facilities, without altering it’s historical significance.
There are some notable trees in the park, a lot fewer than when the park was first established but they do include the Red Oak, introduced from America, the Indian Bean Tree and the Silver Pendant lime.
The park can be accessed from Osmaston Road within the city centre and also from numerous streets within the Normanton area of the city.