Derby Central Library was the main public and reference library in Derby, England, between 1879 and 2018. It was established in 1879 along with Derby Museum and Art Gallery, with which it shared a red brick building designed in the Domestic Flemish Gothic style by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. It was formerly the largest branch of Derby City Libraries run by Derby City Council.
The 1879 Library building (now occupied by Derby Museum and Art Gallery)
Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collection includes a gallery displaying many paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby; there is also a large display of Royal Crown Derby and other porcelain from Derby and the surrounding area. Further displays include archaeology, natural history, geology, military collections and world cultures. The Art Gallery was opened in 1882.
The 1964 extension to the original building houses the museum and art gallery in 2008
The 1876 building mostly housed Derby Central Library but the dividing line with the newer building varied
A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery, by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1766
The Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone, by Joseph Wright, 1771
