The Brunswick Inn, which is at the apex of what is known as the ‘Railway Triangle’, was built in 1841 by the North Midland Railway Company, along with 80 cottages and a local store.
Designed by Francis Thompson, it took the form of a 4 storey triangular building, with two of the floors being underground. Georgian in its design, It is one of, if not the earliest example of a purpose built commercial inn in the country.
The area was designed as a self-contained community, and the Inn traded continually as a public house, as well as offering accommodation, until April 1974. It was then shut and left to fall into disrepair, and along with the cottages was marked for demolition. Yet public outcry at the planned demolition forced the local council to reconsider and after protracted negotiations the Derby Historic Buildings Trust convinced the local council to sell the buildings to the Trust for renovation.
The shell renovations were completed in 1982, where upon the Historic Buildings Trust ran out of funding and the work on the interior could not be completed. The building again hung in the balance, until in 1987 local businessmen saw the potential for The Brunswick and purchased it from the Trust. Work on the building began straight away, and, on the 3rd October 1987, The Brunswick was reopened as a public house, and has remained so ever since.
