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Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Attractions in Derby

Derby Museum and Art Gallery, the pick of Derby

Among the places to visit in and near Derby are 11 museums, 4 castles and 3 historic houses. 14 places to visit are mapped inside Derby’s built-up area, with 15 more within 5 km of its edge. In heritage care, 3 places on the list are looked after by the National Trust. Inside 1 km of the middle lie 4 of the places on the list. A drive of 17 km brings you to Codnor Castle.

Photo: Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Janet Roberts from UK (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In Derby
14
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
15
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
13
in or near town
Castles & historic places
10
in or near town
Cared for
3
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Leading places in Derby

Behind Derby Museum and Art Gallery on the list are 2 museums, a cathedral and a garden.

MuseumDerby Museum and Art Galleryin townMuseumPickford's House Museumin townMuseumMuseum of Makingin townCathedralDerby Cathedralin townGardenDerby Arboretumin townArt galleryArt galleryCastle Fine Art Galleryin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Where to find them

Sculpture Garden marks the outer edge, 11 km away.

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The dashed line is Derby’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

The kinds on offer

13 museums or galleries and 10 castles or historic places top the count.

Museums & galleries 11 museums · 2 art galleries11 in town · 2 nearby
Castles & historic places 4 castles · 3 historic houses · 1 cathedral · 1 fort · 1 abbey or priory2 in town · 8 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens · 1 park or estate1 in town · 2 nearby
Other attractions 3 attractions0 in town · 3 nearby

Green: inside Derby. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

3 places are cared for by the National Trust (Kedleston Hall, Duffield Castle and Kedleston Park).

Every place

Every place to visit

First the 14 in town, then the 15 within 5 km of its edge.

The 14 inside Derby come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

389 listed buildings and 6 scheduled monuments are on Derby’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Derby →

Big names nearby

Beyond Derby

Allow a day for Codnor Castle, 17 km away, the pick of 12.

CastleCodnor Castle17 km northeastCastleNottingham Castle22 km eastBig drawTheme parkAlton Towers Resort29 km west · 2.5M visitors a year (2024)Historic houseChatsworth House36 km northCathedralLichfield Cathedral35 km southwestCathedralLeicester Cathedral38 km southeastAbbey or priory · National TrustCalke Abbey12 km southCathedralNottingham Cathedral22 km eastMuseumWollaton Hall18 km eastMuseumNational Tramway Museum20 km northHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustHardwick Hall31 km northAbbey or prioryNewstead Abbey27 km northeast

Places well known beyond Derby (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Seeing Derby: questions

What are the main attractions in Derby?

The best known inside Derby’s built-up area are Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford's House Museum, Museum of Making and Derby Cathedral. In all, 14 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 15 more within 5 km.

Does Derby have a museum?

13 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Derby: Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford's House Museum, Museum of Making and Castle Fine Art Gallery.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Derby?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Derby, 3 places are cared for by the National Trust (Kedleston Hall, Duffield Castle and Kedleston Park).

What are the best-known days out near Derby?

Within 40 km: Codnor Castle (17 km), Nottingham Castle (22 km), Alton Towers Resort (29 km), Chatsworth House (36 km).

Where are Derby’s historic buildings listed?

Derby has 389 listed buildings, 9 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Derby when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (22)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.