Derby Arboretum

Derby Arboretum
The restored Grove Street Lodge and "Grand Entrance" at the northern end of the Arboretum
Type	Arboretum and public park
Location	Derby, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	52°54′52″N 1°28′29″W / 52.91432°N 1.47471°W / 52.91432; -1.47471Coordinates: 52°54′52″N 1°28′29″W / 52.91432°N 1.47471°W / 52.91432; -1.47471
Area	7.5 hectares
Created	1840 (1840)
Operated by	Derby City Council
Open	All year
Website	www.derby.gov.uk

Derby Arboretum is a public park and arboretum in the city of Derby, England, located about 1 mile south of the city centre in the Rose Hill area. It was opened in 1840, following the donation of the land by local philanthropist Joseph Strutt, and to designs by John Claudius Loudon. It was the first publicly owned, landscaped, urban, recreational park in England. After many years of neglect, the Arboretum was extensively refurbished in the early 21st century with the aid of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of almost £5 million. It is listed as Grade II* on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.

Derby Arboretum opened in 1840 and is often described as "Britain's first public park". Although green spaces and common lands had of course existed previously, as had private parkland and gardens, the park in Derby was the first to be deliberately planned as a place of public recreation in an urban setting.

The Arboretum was donated to the town in 1840 by Joseph Strutt, a former mayor of Derby and member of a prominent local family of industrialists. A noted philanthropist, Strutt was grateful to the working people of Derby for the part they had played in helping him and his family amass their fortune, and wanted to convey his thanks by providing a much needed recreational facility for a rapidly expanding and urbanising area. Strutt commissioned John Claudius Loudon to design the park, and Loudon adapted Strutt's original plans for a botanical garden and pleasure grounds to his own vision, incorporating landscaped walkways.

Work on the Arboretum commenced in July 1839, and was completed in time for the grand opening which took place on 16 September 1840. The occasion was marked by a parade from the Market Place in the centre of Derby to the new park. The park initially charged for admission, in order to pay for its upkeep. However, admission was free on Sundays and on Wednesdays (which had been adopted as half day closing in Derby). This mean that the working classes, who had limited leisure time and probably lacked the means to pay admission, could gain free access to the Arboretum when they actually had the time to do so; in effect, the park was paid for by those who had time and money to spare to enjoy the facilities. Free admission times continued to be extended until charging was finally abolished in 1882.