Public Servant Lifestyle

An historically important portrait of Derbyshire industrialist Richard Arkwright junior is to stay in the country following a mammoth fund-raising drive.

The 1790 painting, by renowned Derby artist Joseph Wright, was due to be sold abroad if the £1,217,500 could not be raised - to meet a tight deadline - to buy it from its private owner.

But at the eleventh hour the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership has managed to secure the money needed to save the portrait for the nation and for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

The World Heritage Site Partnership initially had £1,146,500 pledged – with £999,500 of that coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund - but had to find the remaining £71,000. That funding was then confirmed in the form of a £66,000 grant from Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN), through the Government’s Landfill Tax credit scheme co-ordinated by Derbyshire Environmental Trust, and a £5,000 grant from independent art charity, the National Art Collections Fund adding to the £50,000 it previously donated.

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund has been the key contributor to the campaign awarding an initial grant of £777,000 and a second of £222,500 to total £999,500 - the maximum grant the HLF could award for the painting - when it became aware of the substantial shortfall the partnership required.

The remaining £147,000 has come from a number of generous personal donations and a variety of other group and community sources, including Rolls-Royce who donated £10,000. Today’s news means the portrait will soon be on display alongside other Joseph Wright works at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

Derwent Valley Mills Partnership Chairman Councillor Joyce Sanders said: "This is tremendous news following our very successful campaign which has brought together residents, the Heritage Lottery Fund and a host of other organisations in what has been an amazing fund-raising effort. We are indebted to their generosity and want to thank them all.

Tourism

"In terms of what it means for Derbyshire I’m sure the portrait will be a huge public draw not only for the art gallery, but will also boost Derbyshire’s wider tourism industry by attracting visitors to the mills and historic communities connected with Arkwright. The painting is an item of great historical value for Derbyshire and I’m delighted that it will stay here."

Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Cultural Services Councillor Paul West said: "I'm delighted that we have been successful in securing the entire amount necessary to keep this important painting in the country and in Derbyshire, where it belongs. I would like to thank the organisations that have given grants and everyone who has helped with the fund-raising efforts.

"We will be proud to house the painting in Derby Museum and Art Gallery, along with our other Wright works. We will be holding a reception for donors, to thank them, once the portrait is in place."

Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands regional manager Sheila Stone said: "We’re delighted that a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of nearly £1m has helped save this important painting and will signal its permanent return to Derby, a place where it has such strong links.

"The painting will be used as the focus of a new educational programme drawing attention to the monuments of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and the industrial heritage of the area. That was one of the major factors in our decision to award such an exceptional level of funding."

Campaign

The campaign’s success was made possible when the Department for Culture Media and Sport deferred an export licence to allow time for funds to be raised for an offer to be made to the vendor.

The Duke of Devonshire, who has been the public face of the fund-raising campaign, said: "I have been proud to spearhead this campaign which has now been successful in saving an important piece of Derbyshire's cultural heritage.

"The generous and speedy response from all the organisations, community groups and individuals who have backed us has been overwhelming. It is thanks to them that we have achieved our goal and the result is a credit to this county".

The Arkwrights are synonymous with the development of industrial power in the Derbyshire Derwent Valley - now recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site - and the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership, made up of 30 local councils, regeneration agencies and conservation bodies, aims to develop and promote its international status.

Opening Hours for Derby Museum and Art Gallery are as follows: Monday 11am - 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 2pm - 5pm, Bank Holidays 2pm - 5pm. Admission is free.

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