Derbyshire Record Office
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derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Derbyshire Record Office
@derbyshiredro.bsky.social
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Free access to 900 years of history - Derbyshire, Britain and beyond: books, archives, maps, prints and photographs. Explore online or visit us in Matlock.

Website: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/recordoffice
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Derbyshire Record Office @derbyshiredro.bsky.social · Nov 15
Hello Bluesky 😀
We're the record office for Derbyshire, meaning we hold all the historic archives for the county of #Derbyshire and the city of #Derby. We're delighted to join everyone here! Follow us if you're interested in #history, #archives, old #recipes, historic #fashion and lots more...
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Planning your Christmas menu and looking for inspiration? Look no further than our #LocalStudies library book The Derbyshire Cookbook. A celebration of Derbyshire food with over 40 recipes including the iconic Bakewell Pudding. You can even buy a copy in our bookshop for only £6.00!
A bright colourful front cover showing a collage of hand drawn cartoon style images of local Derbyshire significance, such as Chatsworth House, other local buildings and images of local food. The title The Derbyshire Cook Book is prominently shown top centre of the cover.
November 27, 2025 at 11:05 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
These Victorian era prayer cards hopefully helped someone at times that they needed it most. Wouldn't it be fascinating if they could tell us who, how and why...

#EYAReligion/Spirituality #Victorian
Two small printed cardboard prayer cards with decorated borders. The smaller one is green, whereas the bigger one is a beige colour. The green one says: "A PRAYER- O JESUS! Make Thyself to me a living, bright reality; more present to faith's vision keen than any outward object seen; More dear, more intimately nigh; Than even the sweetest early tie". It is then signed C. Elliot. The beige one says: "If you trust you do not worry, if you do worry you do not trust. 1 Peter v 7."
November 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Blind Dan was a yeast seller who used to go from house to house with a basket selling yeast in the early 20th century. On this photograph he is standing outside a property in the Creswell Model Village.
#DisabilityHistoryMonth #20thCentury
A black and white photograph showing a blind man called Dan wearing a cloth cap, jacket, waist coast, shirt and trousers tucked into high leather boots. He is carrying a covered wicker basket, and by a brick wall, with a large window behind him and a door just to the right of him.
November 26, 2025 at 1:40 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Our latest #NewAccession is something a little unusual: a tie, blazer badge and Athletic Union Colours Award badge from Matlock College of Education (1946-1986). These objects from the teacher training institution date from c1962.

#1960s
On the left of the image are the two badges both containing variations on the college crest, a lion rampant guardant, with a Tudor Rose covering it's body, on a red background. The Matlock Athletic Union Colours badge is the lower of the two. On the right of the image, the green college tie has diagonal white pinstripes running from right to left. There are two college crests between each pinstripe.
November 26, 2025 at 10:10 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Amongst the archives of the Diocese of Derby is our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, three volumes of watercolours of the county's parish churches, created about 1823 by Philip Browne. Photographs of some churches were added between 1870 and 1900.

#EYAReligion/Spirituality #art
Selection of watercolours by Philip Browne showing the parish churches of Dore, Blackwell, Tibshelf, Ault Hucknall, Cromford and Hartshorne about 1823, with a photograph of Kirk Langley about 1890s.
November 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
With only a month to go till Christmas, why not pop in to our #LocalStudies bookshop to find that perfect gift for a history enthusiast…or even for yourself 😀
And if you can't come to Matlock, just get in touch and we'll email you a list of our stock.

#LocalHistory
Photograph of a large number of books on display.
November 25, 2025 at 12:10 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
First founded in 943AD, All Saints church in Derby (now the Cathedral) was rebuilt in the 1720s; the first sermon in the new church was given #OnThisDay, 300 years ago.

#EYAReligion/Spirituality #art #watercolour
Watercolour of view from Full Street/Cathedral Green of Derby All Saints Church as it was about 1823, painted by Philip Browne.
November 25, 2025 at 9:50 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
We like this group of very smart and proud railway staff photographed just after the opening of the new station at Chinley, 1902. Also featuring a WH Smith paper boy and a child in a pushchair…

#Railway200 #1900s
A black and white photograph of 19 seated and standing railway workers in uniforms and peaked hats. On the right is a small child wrapped up in blankets sat in a push chair and a young boy wearing a uniform and peaked hat holding a tray with newspapers on it. In the background you can see a platform lamp, a stone building with a slate tiled roof, a canopy, signs and a noticeboard.
November 24, 2025 at 1:10 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
When in 1899 Frederick Gell retired as Bishop of Madras, this letter sent to a local paper shows a Hindu perspective. In it the writer states that “a pious man is a pious man, whether he be a Christian, or a Hindu.”

#EYAReligion/Spirituality
A typed letter on 'The Hindu View of an English Bishop': "The Right Rev. F. Gell, D.D., Bishop of Madras, retires from service today (there is a note at the bottom of the page stating the 15th was the actual date); and in his retirement Madras loses the influence of a great character. We are not Christians; and we cannot pretend to be in any sense enthusiastic about the results of propagation of the Christian gospel. But a pious man is a pious man, whether he be a Christian, or a Hindu.
November 24, 2025 at 10:10 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
We may be a little early for Christmas but on #NationalGingerbreadDay we couldn’t resist this display in Ashbourne’s Gingerbread Shop in 1987 for our #PhotoFriday. Do these gingerbread houses inspire you to get creative?

#1980s
We look through a window at a display of cakes and gingerbread. It is Christmas and there are stockings and a small, decorated tree in the window, with Christmas cakes and gingerbread houses. People are inside standing at the counter, where more baked goodies are on offer.
November 21, 2025 at 1:05 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
To mark the beginning of #DisabilityHistoryMonth this video clip of Diana, Princess of Wales, visiting Whitemoor Day Centre 28 April 1992. This Centre in Belper was founded as Whitemoor Adult Training Centre in 1985. It served adults with learning disabilities, helping them develop skills.
November 21, 2025 at 10:21 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
‘Kinder Scout: Portrait of a Mountain’ is more than a pictorial guide to Derbyshire’s most famous mountain: it is a comprehensive account of its human and natural history. Find a copy in our #LocalStudies library or even better, buy your own copy in our bookshop for only £3.00 while stocks last!
Full colour photograph of a landscape of sweeping green hills, with large wind-blasted stones in the foreground.
November 20, 2025 at 2:05 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
This plan is of a proposed railway that would have passed through the rural countryside of the Township of Hartington in 1845.

#Railway200
Scale hand drawn plan of railway line.
November 20, 2025 at 11:55 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
A huge 'thank you' to author Michael Somerville who delivered a fascinating talk on the 2/5th Sherwood Foresters battalion during the Second World War at the Record Office yesterday👏
Michael’s book ‘Sherwood Boys’ is published on 30 November https://www.sherwoodboys.co.uk/
Photograph taken from the back of a room where people sit on chairs facing a gentleman who is delivering a talk. He sits on the left of a screen on which is projected the title page of a presentation entitled 'Sherwood Boys - biography of a battalion'.
November 20, 2025 at 10:10 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
In the month of #Movember, when the focus is on men's health and wellbeing, and on #InternationalMensDay, we present this group of proudly moustachioed builders from 1873. They were repairing the spire of Clay Cross Church.

#Victorian
Black and white photograph a group of eight men, all with various sized moustaches. Seven men are dressed in work clothes - shirts and loose waistcoats - and are wearing caps. The man in the middle is the oldest; he is wearing a suit and a bowler hat. He is also holding a cockerel weather vane.
November 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Derby Cathedral’s “Celebration of Creation" in 2000 brought together religious groups from the city: the Archdeaconries of Chesterfield and Derby, Derby Sikh Temple, Derby Hindu Temple, Derby Islamic Centre, the Afro-Caribbean Council of Churches in Derby and others.
#EYAReligion/Spirituality
Cover of the programme printed on white paper with dark lettering for “A Celebration of Creation”. Above this title is written “The Cathedral Church of All Saints Derby”. Below this is the date Sunday 24 September 2000 at 3 o’clock. Open double page of the programme, showing contributions from "Judaism", "Sikhism" and the "Afro-Caribbean Council of Churches in Derby".
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this impressive A-level project by Trevor Jordan from 1977. It contains many photos, including ones of two limestone blocks which were once set into the Newhaven Tunnel, as well as other industrial archaeology features of the Cromford and High Peak Railway.
Typed page with the title 'The Industrial Archaeology of the Cromford and High Peak Railway'. Two photographs of limestone blocks stuck to a black piece of paper. The south-facing brick depicts a replica of a waggon surrounded by the name Cromford & High Peak Railway and date 1825. The name of the contractor, P.H. & Co., in the four corners of the stone. The north-facing stone bears the name of the engineer Josias Jessop (d.1826), It also bears the coat of arms of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, together with it's motto 'Divina palladis arte. A black piece of paper with three photographs stuck to it. The top one is captioned 'Milepost 22', the middle one 'Black Rocks' and the bottom one 'Wassen company's lead smelter'.
November 18, 2025 at 1:50 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
This little hymn book was created for the Centenary Festival of Denby Pottery Methodist Church's Sunday School in 1880. Most of the songs mentioned are not as familiar today, but certainly the national anthem and 'O God, Our Help in Ages Past' are still recognisable.

#EYAReligion/Spirituality
Small booklet front cover: Sunday School Centenary Festival. Hymns to be sung at Denby Pottery on July 20th 1880. The cover is signed James Horsley, Park Meadows Denby. The Hymn IV of the booklet is 'O God! Our Help in Ages Past' and is published with the lyrics: O God! Our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast And our eternal home.
November 18, 2025 at 10:55 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
When the Sheffield–Chesterfield line opened, it used the latest technology to run. This Telegraphic Despatch (telegram) form is from 6th January 1871. They were used for traffic related arrangements, problems and discrepancies.
#Railway200
Form that has been filled in by hand using black ink.
November 17, 2025 at 2:20 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
While Derby has the county’s official cathedral, the Parish Church of St John the Baptist stands tall in Tideswell, earning its epithet as the ‘Cathedral in the Peak’. This atmospheric 1960s shot was taken by a Peak Park photographer and captures its majesty and serenity.
#EYAReligion/Spirituality
Black and white photo of the Church of St John the Baptist in Tideswell, taken in winter. Snow blankets the rooftops and ground, while the Gothic-style church stands tall with its pointed arches, stained glass windows, and prominent bell tower. Leafless trees and surrounding stone buildings add to the serene atmosphere of the Peak District village.
November 17, 2025 at 10:40 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
The Green Man is a pagan symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth each spring. Here we have a beautiful architectural depiction on one of Derby’s oldest coaching inns, Mr Jorrocks Public House, taken in 1988.
#PhotoFriday #EYAReligion/Spirituality
A carving of The Green Man on the corner of a building. It shows a man’s bearded with leaves and pine cones around his head, and fruit underneath. A bunch of grapes is carved further up the wall. The carving is brightly painted – the foliage bright green, grapes purple and the face has blue eyes, a brown beard and rosy cheeks.
November 14, 2025 at 11:40 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
Best wishes to the King for a very #HappyBirthday.
This address to his late mother was prepared by Derby-born typographer, printer and illustrator John R. Biggs (1909-1988).
A parchment document on which is written in blue, red and black calligraphic text: "TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH C.I. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS We the Council and Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts tender to our President our heartiest and most loyal congratulations on the birth of a son. We pray that he may grow in wisdom and in Christian knowledge to the happiness of your Royal Highness and of Prince Philip..."
November 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
This image shows a Pair of class 31 diesel trains head an 'up' tanker under bridge 21, passing derelict railway station buildings at Weston on Trent in 1987.

#Railway200 #train #LocalHistory
A black and white photograph of a train pulled by two diesel engines passing under a bridge. On the right can be seen the roof tops of some houses while the train is about to pass derelict railway station buildings.
November 13, 2025 at 1:05 PM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
On #WorldKindnessDay and at the start of #TransgenderAwarenessWeek we’ve picked this book from our #LocalStudies shelves. ‘Before we were trans’ gives new insight into the rich history of gender – aspects largely ignored in the past. A fascinating and enjoyable read.
The cover of the book ‘Before we were trans, a new history of gender’ by Kit Heyam. A black and white photograph of a group of cross dressers or trans women, in Edwardian style clothing forms the book cover.
November 13, 2025 at 10:15 AM
derbyshiredro.bsky.social
On #WorldBalletDay, meet ballerina Mrs Mabel Williams, here photographed in 1933. We don't know anything else about Mabel and would love to find out more, so do tell us if you know more about her life and career.

#1930s #dance
Black and white photograph of young woman wearing an elaborate white ballet tutu and pointe shoes. She is standing in an elegant ballet position, smiling at the camera.
November 12, 2025 at 2:05 PM