Derbyshire Record Office

The Loch Ness Monster made from a long length of fabric and a papier mache head. You can see children’s legs underneath and standing alongside is a man dressed in a kilt and sporran, and a child carrying a sign reading 'Loch Ness Monster Beware Do Not Touch'. Image courtesy of www.picturethepast.org.uk

On #PhotoFriday we visit Ripley in 1932 when you might have been surprised to see the Loch Ness monster taking a stroll along Cromford Road. But don’t worry, this magnificent beast was taking part in Ripley Carnival and definitely friendly!

#EYAMonsters #1930s

Title page of 'The Wonders of the Peake' by Charles Cotton, printed in London in 1681 with classic serif typography

Description of the moorlands and river Dove in printed verse on a page from 'The Wonders of the Peak'

For #NationalPoetryDay here's a satirical poetic essay from 1681 entitled 'The Wonders of the Peake' by Charles Cotton . Written in heroic couplets, it humorously describes the "seven wonders" of the Peak District, such as Poole's Cavern and Chatsworth House.

Colourful hand drawn and painted watercolour picture of the Chatsworth House parkland showing black and white cows and calves and also sheep in the foreground. The landscape behind the farm animals shows the river, Chatsworth House and tree lined slopes rising up behind the house to a blue sky with clouds.

Open double-page with the title 'Wool'. It features a large watercolour of a colourful woolly jumper, as well as photos of sheep, and diagrams showing the difference between knitting and weaving.

This #WorldFarmAnimalsDay we have been enjoying our #LocalStudies library's children’s book 'Farm Animals' by the Duchess of Devonshire. Based on Chatsworth Farmyard and illustrated with specially commissioned paintings and photos, it shows what happens during daily life on a farm today.

A black and white photograph of eight men standing on a railway track line using equipment to re-lay railway sleepers onto the track.

This fabulous photograph from 1936 shows a group of men re-laying railway track at Barrow Hill.

#Railway200 #1930s

Thank you for letting us know (we don't have a subscription to check service records). He did have siblings, so we'll do some more digging...

I'm afraid we don't have any other information about Charles Coupe's military service, other than that he joined the ASC in December 1915 and was killed in action on 9 October 1917.

Photo of two items. On the left, an oval metal dog tag with a short chain, the engraving reads: C W Coupe; M2/193508; M T A.S.C. C.E. On the right ia a regimental badge; the lettering reads T R E N MIDLAND.

Our latest #NewAccession are the regimental badge and dog tag of Charles William Coupe of Higham. Marrying Ann Bunting in June 1915, he enlisted into #WW1 on 8 December 1915. He was killed in action in October 1917.

#MilitaryHistory

The plan shows two images. The top image shows the extension on the left hand side, measuring 17.6 by 16 yards. The extension and the desks on the right hand side, are coloured in yellow. The second image is a sketch of the front of the school. The roof and three windows are coloured blue.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a plan of an extension to Wirksworth Infant National School. Erected in 1851, fees were £4 pa for the upper room, £2 for the lower. Free places limited to 12, but trustees could admit more giving due regard to the character of the school.

#EYAEducation #LocalHistory

Plan on light blue showing King Street between Bridge Street and the route of the railway, listing the shops and traders, with heading reading "Litchfield v Chapman & Grant".

One of our cataloguing volunteers recently came across this plan of King Street #Belper, produced during a court case in February 1926 after Elsie May Litchfield was knocked down the previous April by a car swerving to avoid a bus.

#LocalHistory #1920s

Published by The Oakwood Press. Titled 'The Melbourne Military Railway. A History of the Railway Training Centre at Melbourne and King's Newton 1939-1945' by Alan Cooper, Peter Leggott, Cyril Sprenger. On the cover of the book is a black and white photograph of an engine with steam coming out of it on a steel bridge. At the front of the photograph are eleven soldiers in uniform.

In our #LocalStudies library is this fascinating book about the Melbourne Military Railway. This was a training centre used between 1939-1945 by the British Army and Allied engineers to prepare them for the invasion of Europe.

#Railway200 #trains #LocalHistory

Black and white photograph. In the foreground there are the four engine drivers: Miss Turbutt, Mrs John Jackson, Mrs Johnson, Mr W.T.H Jackson. To the right of them is a train with flags on it, pulling a carriage. To the left is a wooden waiting room. Behind them is a crowd of people, two men in uniform in the engine cab and more crowds of people stood on the bank of a hill on the left handside.

Happy Anniversary to the Stockton and Darlington Railway which opened 200 years ago today 🥳 It was the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives. This photograph shows the Ashover Light Railway opening ceremony nearly a 100 years later.
#Railway200

A scene from a school play on a stage. Everyone is in very detailed costumes. There is a king on a throne surrounded by courtiers, dignitaries and a bishop. A knight wearing chainmail kneels before the king. The set is dressed with banners with what look like gold coats of arms. Image courtesy of www.picturethepast.org.uk

Do you remember acting in a school play? We bet few had such grand costumes and scenery as this by pupils of Derby Grammar School in the #1930s. Can we even see real chainmail?

#PhotoFriday #EYAEducation

Front cover of the book ‘Animal Life at No 37 Corve Way’ by Susan María Rodríguez, with illustrations by Eulalia Rodríguez Palomino. It features colour drawings of the various animals involved, such as a squirrel, a fox and a badger.

Now in our #LocalStudies library, ‘Animal Life at No 37 Corve Way’ by Susan María Rodriguez is a collection of illustrated short stories inspired by the wildlife that visited her twin sister’s garden in Chesterfield in the summer of 2023.

#LocalHistory

A black and white photograph of two teenagers dressed as Titania and Oberon, posing from a scene in the play.

A black and white photograph of Titania with her fairies, all dressed in white dresses with capes for wings.

A black and white photograph of the entire cast of the school production.

On #WorldDreamDay, here are pupils from the Bakewell Highfield Girls Secondary School, together with boys from the local Boy's School, performing A Midsommer Night's Dream in the 1950s. We wonder what part the dog played…

#EYAEducation #1950s #theatre

Detailed map showing Midland Railway's Litchurch Waggon Branch in Derby County with Derby Station and surrounding roads.

Our #Railway200 post for today is this plan of the area around Derby Station in 1873, as part of the Litchurch Waggon Branch.

Bundles of school magazines. Two are open showing black and white photographs of pupils c1950s and a gathering of ex pupils in c2014. Two copies are closed showing the cover of the magazine of bright orange paper and the title The Heanorian with the school badge underneath - a shield with a crown over the Derbyshire rose.

The Heanorian started out as a school magazine for Heanor Grammar pupils—then became a way for alumni to reconnect, reminisce & share life updates💬✨ We’ve just added editions up to the final one in 2014 as our latest #NewAccession.

#EYAEducation

A printed text for the Midland Railway entitled 'Matlock, The Switzerland of England', with a black and white photograph of Matlock Bath below the text.

A printed text for the Midland Railway entitled 'Haddon Hall, The Most Perfect Specimen of a Medieval Castle'. There is a black and white photographs of Haddon Hall, below the text.

Railway lines used to produce helpful guides to places that could be visited by train to encourage people to use the train. Who wouldn't want to visit 'The Switzerland of England' or 'The Most Perfect Specimen of a Medieval Castle'!

#Railway200 #LocalHistory

Faded green cover of a booklet for the 350th anniversary of Staveley Netherthorpe Grammar School. Underneath the school's name is the school badge, three shields in a slight U-shape with 1572 at the top and a ribbon underneath with the words Staveley Grammar School. The shields have images including 3 lions rampant. 'Exhibition, Bazaar, Fete' is written underneath the badge with the date 1572-1922.

The records of Netherthorpe School is our #ArchiveOfTheWeek. Founded in 1572 it's still in operation today. Its 350th anniversary in 1922 was a grand celebration with a fete, concert, Punch and Judy shows, fireworks and even an aerial display!

#EYAEducation

Quarter Session deposited railway plans can be an excellent source for local history. Here's a short #Railway200 video guide, which explains what they are and how to use them

A group of children in fancy dress stand by a stall handing our glasses of Creamola Foam soft drink. Some of the costumes are a nurse, a ballerina and a boy dressed as a pirate with a spotted headscarf and an eye patch. A small boy with a checked shirt and a cap wears a sign saying First Prize Boys Under Eight. Image courtesy of www.picturethepast.org.uk.

Can you spot the pirate on #TalkLikeAPirateDay? He’s amongst these other children in fancy dress in Matlock Bath in the 1950s. Sensibly he seems to have chosen a soft drink instead of a bottle of grog.

#PhotoFriday #1950s

The cover of the book Happy School showing a children's drawing in bright crayon of buildings and a big happy faced sun.

A child's drawing of a house, a child and a bus called 'where I live in Ellastone by Fiona Barleyman age 7'.

We hope your school was a happy school. The Prince Henry First School in Mayfield was so happy they even produced a book to celebrate. Full of drawings and writing from pupils it’s a delight. Find it in our #LocalStudies collection.

#EYAEducation #LocalHistory

Sepia coloured photograph showing the platforms at the railway station, which are covered by a iron canopies. On the platforms you can see a porter, a group of boys, a woman, a trolley, posters and a newsagent. One figure, who must have moved too much while the image was taken, is very hazy, with a spectral appearance. Image courtesy of www.picturethepast.org.uk.

For #Railway200, here is a photograph of the Midland Railway Station at Chesterfield in about 1910. Looks like even ghosts wanted to travel by train!

#history #trains #ghost #1910s #photograph

New grants for heritage organisations Do you have a great idea for a project that celebrates our history of local crafts and industries? Derbyshire Makes History is a new 2-year project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to c…

Grants are now available to celebrate Derbyshire's making heritage! You can apply for grants of £300-£2000 with no match funding required. Find out more on our latest blog post:
recordoffice.wordpress.com/2025/09/17/n...

Sepia photograph with four wooden traveller caravans, a stone wall and unidentified building can be seen in the distance. A woman in a long dress, cap and white apron sits on the steps of the nearest caravan watching a young boy, with his hands in shallow bucket, looking at the camera. A blurred figure in front of the second caravan is a boy and possibly a dog. A small face can also be seen peeking over the door of the third caravan.

Sepia photograph with several wooden traveller caravans, some with fabric coverings, and one containing several wicker chairs, on land to the left of a stone wall and unidentified buildings (other buildings can also be seen in the background). Six children are sitting in the foreground looking at the camera, a young woman stands on the left washing laundry and another woman can be seen in the background with her back to the camera.

As a result of an enquiry this week, we came across two fabulous photographs of a travellers' camp in Derby (now Stores Road area), taken by the council's public health department in May 1901.

#history #travellers #1900s

A white book cover, with a blue coloured design of a diesel train which states in blue lettering 'Derbyshire Railways Today'. In black lettering states 'by Terry Boden, The Derbyshire Heritage Series'.

In the Local Transport series of books, Terry Boden’s 1990 'Derbyshire Railways Today' covers the county's main and branch lines and also provides details on railways, quarrying, quarries and coal mining. Find a copy in our #LocalStudies library.

#history #trains #LocalHistory

An elderly lady with a lined face, dark hair tied back, and small round glasses stands against a brick wall. She wears a long dark dress with embroidery on the chest and a lighter coloured crocheted waistcoat with white edging. She smiles gently. Image courtesy of www.picturethepast.org.uk.

On #InternationalCrochetDay here’s a fine example of a crocheted waistcoat as worn by Mrs Hopkinson of Ashover in the early 1900s. You can easily imagine someone wearing that today.

#PhotoFriday #1900s

Front cover of the publication ‘We are all Derbyshire – a collection of portraits celebrating the people of Derbyshire’ by artist Mellisa Speed. It features a mosaic of several of her paintings.

‘We are all Derbyshire – a collection of portraits celebrating the people of Derbyshire’ by artist Mellisa Speed showcases her portraits of 16 Derbyshire people who are making a difference to their communities. Now in our #LocalStudies library.

#LocalHistory

Derby Ragged School Ragged Schools were an attempt between the 1840s and 1870s to provide free education for children living in extreme poverty, who could not afford to pay for admittance into other schools.  The…

Ragged Schools between the 1840s and 1870s provided an education to the country's poorest children. In this blog post, the Derby Ragged School is explored, including some entries from the school's log in our collection: recordoffice.wordpre...

#EYAEducation

Site plan entitled "Borough of Chesterfield. Proposed Civic Centre on the Rose Hill Estate" showing the proposed town hall in red, with green spaces marked to the north and south (including what is now Shentnall Gardens) buildings on neighbouring streets in light brown

Ground floor plan of the proposed town hall, with all rooms and corridors labelled according to the planned use. Walls are shown in red.

Third floor plan of the proposed town hall, with all rooms and corridors labelled according to the planned use. Walls are shown in red.

Amongst a #NewAccession for George F. Kirk & Sons, builders of #Chesterfield, we found some lovely colour plans of Chesterfield Town Hall which was built in the 1930s.

#history

A handwritten will and separate inventory. The front page of the inventory lists everything in the 'House Place' (kitchen/living room) and includes chimney ornaments, 5 chairs, 2 deal tables and 1 mahogany table, a tea urn, arm chair, 2 decanters, chine and a lot of jugs and glasses.

A governess's life could end in poverty but not in the best households! Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is the 1847 will of the Harpur Crewe's governess, Amelia Wheldon. She retired to a comfortable 3 bed cottage on the estate and gave lots of bequests to her friends and relations.

#EYAEducation