Derby is an unusual city in that it is built along a river but tends to look away from it. This was not always the case, in the 18th century there were many fine houses with gardens that ran down to the water, however during the 19th century Derby became a largely industrial town. The result of this was that the banks became lined with factories, iron foundries and even a power station which was not demolished until the 1970s. In recent decades these industrial sites have closed and the city is now slowly beginning to look anew at the beauty of the River DerwentTo this end in 2022 the cities first riverboat began taking passengers on a leisurely, scenic cruise from a mooring near to Cathedral Green up to Darley Abbey and back. it is run by the Derby and Sandiacre Canal trust who are working to restore the canal that once ran through the town. The first boat that the Trust have launched is called the Outram and runs from Spring to Autumn. The reason for the choice of name is that:
'Benjamin Outram was born in Derbyshire in 1764; he built many canals and railways across England and Wales and was so well respected amongst the engineering community he became one of the country’s leading engineering consultants at the start of the industrial revolution.The Derby Canal is widely regarded as the pinnacle of his achievements especially as it included some innovative engineering concepts such as the 13 metre long single-span Holmes Aqueduct and the “Little Eaton Gangway” a tramway which cleverly extended the goods transport network to this essential part of the country and brought coal to the city of Derby and beyond.In 1790 he founded the Benjamin Outram and Company, later to become Butterley Engineering Company, to use iron and coal found during the construction of local canals and which was later to produce St Pancras Railway station and the Falkirk Wheel boat lift in Scotland. (https://www.derbycanal.org.uk/derby-riverboat/)