Allestree Park is the wildest and most scenic of Derby's parks. Located on the edge of the city, it extends over 129 hectares, or 319 acres. The Park used to be a private estate. In May 2002, Derby City Council made most of it a Local Nature Reserve because of its wide range of wildlife habitats. In Allestree Park, you will see the first signs of the hilly countryside which, a few miles to the north, becomes the Peak District. Allestree Hall is a Grade II* listed building.
Geology
Most of the Park is formed from easily eroded, thin-bedded shales and sandstones. These technically belong to the Millstone Grit formation, but they are unlike the thick-bedded sandstones of the true Millstone Grit of the Peak District. They were originally deposited 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous Period by mighty rivers. The rivers, flowing south from a northern continent, carried vast amounts of sediments into a huge river mouth, a delta which then covered much of Britain. Today, these formations are topped by a moist, fairly fertile soil, in which a variety of trees and plants thrive.
Big Wood, on the highest part of the Park, is underlain by Sherwood Sandstones. These were formed by flash floods which washed sands and pebbles into rapidly evaporating lakes in a harsh, hot desert. This happened when Britain formed part of a huge rugged continent about 200 million years ago, in the Triassic Period. In the old sand pits in Big Wood, some of these soft sandstones are exposed. They contain bands of water-worn pebbles, some carried from as far as northern France. The result is a poor, thin, sandy and very dry soil which supports mainly Birch trees and a ground cover of Bracken.
History
Allestree Park dates from the end of the 18th Century when the present Hall was built. By the 1930s, after a succession of owners, a developer who had hoped to build 2,000 houses and a golf course, bought the Park and Hall. The golf course, and some houses on the edge of the Park, were in place when the Second World War started. The Army then requisitioned the Park and Hall. After the War, ownership passed to Derby Corporation, now Derby City Council. The Council continues to preserve the Park for the people of Derby.
If you would like to know more, then download a copy of our Allestree Park Local Nature Reserve leaflet leaflet 
249kb, or visit the Friends of Allestree Park 
website. The Friends of Allestree Park group was founded in 2005 and is open to anyone who is interested in Allestree Park, its conservation, educational and recreational value.
For leaflets on other areas of natural history in the city, then visit our walks and nature trails webpage.
You can also visit the wildlife and geology displays at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, or contact the Derby Natural History Society or the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for information on natural history in the city.
A management plan for Allestree Park Local Nature Reserve has been produced by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for the Council.
Allestree Park Local Nature Reserve management plan
For further information contact
Derby City Council
Regeneration and Community
Roman House
Friar Gate
Derby DE1 1XB
Telephone 01332 255021 Minicom 01332 256666 Fax 01332 255989 email wildderby@derby.gov.uk