Arriving by rail....

The journey from the railway station is relatively straightforward, whether on foot or by bus, but it best if you make sure you exit from the main entrance at the front of the station rather than the Pride Park side. As you emerge, the taxi rank is to your left and the bus stop is directly in front of you. The Arriva 1A and 1C combine well with the “Skylink” service to provide a roughly ten minute frequency from Bus Stop S1. All the in-bound bus services terminate or drop off at the Bus Station and see 🚌 below for details of the less-than-five-minute walk from there.

Walking all the way from the railway station is quite practical and takes about 20 minutes... Turn right out of the station forecourt along Station Approach, admiring the Midland Railway Institute and the North Midland Railway cottages on the left as you do. You will pass the former Midland Railway Engineer's Offices and the detached Architect's offices on your right with the Brunswick and Alexandra pubs on your left. If it is a fine day and you are not in a rush, stay on the railway side of the road and follow the well signposted riverside path for a much more scenic walk. Stay on the west side of the river and the path takes you to the Silk Mill with only one road to cross ^**.

Otherwise if staying on the street route, cross at the pedestrian crossing opposite the Alexandra pub to bear left so that the former MR Enginemen's lodgings (now called Duesbury House) are on your right. This is Siddals Road and is mainly lined with commercial premises. At the very end, the huge Derbion multi-story car park looms up. Continue straight ahead, over the inner ring road at the traffic lights and pass under the car park. You'll spot the bus station on your right as you walk onto The Morledge.

Continue along The Morledge, crossing at the Bus Station (🚌). You'll walk past the front of the Crown Court, onto Corporation Street and past the imposing 1930s Council House by C.H.Aslin on your right. Use the zebra crossing at the end of Derwent Street and you will find yourself on Full Street. As a quick check the old court building (now the Local Studies Library) will be on the right and the (now closed) Assembly Rooms multistory car park on the left. Once you pass the hotel, Cathedral Green opens out as a grassed open space leading down to the River Derwent, as seen in the aerial view at the top of the page. Follow the path which heads off behind the statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie opposite the cathedral and you'll find yourself at the Silk Mill and the Museum of Making.

** — As of Autumn 2024 the riverside path between Derwent Street and Cathedral Green is closed as the 90 year old balustrade alongside the river has become unsafe. If you are following the riverside path you will need to cross Derwent Street and turn left to join the route described above from the old Magistrates Court (Local Studies Library building). It will barely add a minute to your walk though.

Arriving by car....

Limited parking is available at the Silk Mill itself for ♿️ blue badge holders only.

The best advice is to use the Chapel Street multistory car park (set your satnav for DE1 3GU). It is only five minutes or so walk away but has the advantage (because it is operated by Derby City Council) that we can validate your parking ticket taking the all day rate down to £2.70. (Don't forget to ask!) There is a closer car park if you’d prefer (Sowter Road, DE1 3AF literally across the road) but it is marginally more expensive. (Note that the Assembly Rooms car park which we used to recommend has now permanently closed for redevelopment).

A good compromise may be to use the “Park ‘n Ride” located close to the Pride Park football stadium on the southeast (A52 Nottingham) side of the city. This is served by Arriva service 1B and will deposit you at the Bus Station.

Once you are at the Museum of Making....

The Midland Railway Study Centre is located on the second floor at the far end of the Railways Revealed Gallery (where the model railway is located — which is hard to miss!). You can come straight up or you can announce yourself to the Museum staff member on the door who will be happy to point you in the right direction. Sse the doorbell at the Study Centre to attract attention if we're downstairs in the store. If you receive no reply to the doorbell, it likely means we are on a break, so again, one of the several members of staff who will be around the galleries will track us down for you.