So farewell, Derby’s Eagle Centre market, writes Simon Burch, which, as I arrived at Marketing Derby’s annual event at the theatre on Tuesday, has the hoardings up and the demolition firm’s signs on display, ahead of its ultimate demise.
In its place, in what’s now known as the Eagle Quarter, will be a high-rise development of new homes, bringing new life and a smart feel to the area of the city just across the road from the bus station.
And how old this makes me feel. Because I remember vividly standing waiting for the Trent 102 service to Nottingham looking across the road at the market as it was being built.
READ MORE: GUEST BLOG: It’s my job to promote Derby – so when it was voted worst city I felt responsible
It arrived as a smart, slick glass building that swept one of local architecture’s most quixotic buildings into the pages of the history books – Derby’s infamous honeycomb market, an impenetrable labyrinth of stalls sitting beneath an undulating roof consisting of interlocking hexagonal shapes.
This was the only market, I’m sure, which had to have a yellow line painted on the floor to act as a guide to help lost visitors find their way to safety.
I’m sure few bemoaned the loss of the original market when it was time to take it down, while, rumour has it, workmen found shoppers who had been wandering around its aisles for years, like Japanese soldiers who were discovered still fighting in the jungles of the Far East long after the Second World War was over.
It’s only when you start thinking about how your local town or city has changed that you realise how old you are. Across the city, the University of Derby’s new Business School is taking shape on a site where another old new building (if you get my drift) – the Sir Peter Hilton halls of residence – once stood.
I was a junior reporter working at the Derby Telegraph when it was opened, at a time when the city was changing enormously and there were new buildings going up left, right and centre – not least on Pride Park, including the creation of the stadium itself.
I would say that in my lifetime the 1990s were the best time to be a part of Derby: the renaissance on Pride Park seemed to tap into a feeling of optimism across the city, which also saw new bars and restaurants opening in Iron Gate and Friar Gate, while the fountain in the Market Place had been recently opened – and was actually working.
Derby County were in the Premier League, which helped feed the feelgood vibes, and if you ever see any photos of the streets during that time, they always look full, with shoppers visiting bustling places like Bennetts.
Fast forward to the present day and Derby in 2025 doesn’t feel like that anymore. There are undoubtedly a million reasons why this is the case – COVID and internet shopping being two that spring to mind – and it can be dispiriting to walk down streets like Iron Gate on a Sunday and feel like you’re the only person around.
So it was heartening to attend the Marketing Derby event on Tuesday and hear about the prospects for what is being labelled its Olympic year and the plans to open the Becketwell Live performance venue, the refurbished Market Hall and the Business School.
They aren’t the only developments that have sprung up over the past few years, but what makes them different in my mind is that they have the potential to bring people who have perhaps stayed out of the city centre over the past few years back onto the streets to join the fun.
Everyone wants to live in a city that’s vibrant, busy and full of life. Nobody wants to see empty buildings and closed restaurants lining the streets. And we’d love to experience the kind of feelgood vibe that promotion to the Premier League would bring to Derby County and the city too.
No, nobody thinks that the opening of these two venues will bring this wave of optimism sweeping back through the city overnight, and the issue of the Assembly Rooms and the still-closed Guildhall have yet to be resolved.
But it’s nice to look upon a year where something positive is taking place, giving us hope that the city might just be about to turn a corner and spark a new renaissance.
Who knows? They might even switch the fountain back on to celebrate.
