City’s past, present and future captured in photography competition

Derby City Council has announced the winners of a competition to find images of the city to include in a new time capsule to be buried within the Market Hall.

Kayla Hackney’s photo of Derby Cathedral, Steve Donald’s aerial shot of the Silk Mill and Tracey Stanley’s photo of the ram statue outside Derbion have been named as the winners.

They will now be invited to a special ceremony where the time capsule containing their images will be buried alongside two others that were uncovered during the £35 million refurbishment of the historic Market Hall.

During the refurbishment, contractors uncovered two sealed glass containers from the 1860s and 1930s behind a memorial plaque near the Guildhall entrance.

Their contents included several historic items, including the mayor’s seal from the 1860s, coins and newspapers.

Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derby City Council, said: “Derby is full of inspiration for photographers and these images capture the past, present and future of our city.

“It’s great that we can show future generations what Derby looked like in a snapshot moment in 2024.

“These photographs will be among the objects buried in our new time capsule at Derby Market Hall, which will give Derby a new cultural hub to be proud of.

“The capsule will give those who open it a glimpse of what life was like here in Derby in 2024.

“I look forward to meeting our competition winners at the burial event later this year.”

Derby City Council has appointed design consultancy Hemingway Design to help bring alive an ambition for the Market Hall to create a building that will be a hub for creatives, makers and traders, building on the city’s heritage of innovation and industry.

Extensive structural restoration of the Market Hall’s cast iron, copper and glass roof was finished in August 2022 and work continues on the Victorian building to turn it into an attractive retail and leisure destination fit for the future.

Businesses throughout the region are registering their interest in operating from the refurbished Market Hall, which will bring together the best of the region’s independent shopping, eating, drinking and entertainment when it reopens in spring 2025.