Belper takes its name from Beaurepaire or "beautiful retreat" and has recently gained World Heritage Site status as part of the Derwent Valley National Heritage Corridor. The town was founded on nail making and later made a significant contribution to the Industrial Revolution through the local cotton industry and the mills of Jedediah Strutt.

There is still much evidence of these early industries in the town and the Derwent Valley Heritage Centre is situated in the old North Mill near to the picturesque River Gardens, one of the venues for the festival events. The links with Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA through cotton have resulted in the Twinning with Belper.

Whilst Belper has no major performance venue there is a very active music scene within the town catering for a wide variety of musical tastes. Belper Music and Arts arranges almost weekly concerts and other events throughout the year. The River Gardens attract large numbers of people in the summer with a series of Sunday afternoon brass band concerts and 'Larks in the Park' featuring a range of contemporary styles and musicians.

Rough Truffles singing in the River Gardens as part of the BBC's Music Live event 2002

There are a good many web sites to be found on our Links page for anyone wanting to find out more about our attractive town.

Click here for a map of belper