Belper (/ˈbɛlpər/) is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, located about 7 miles (11 km) north of Derby on the River Derwent.

At the time of the Norman occupation, Belper was part of the land centred on Duffield held by the family of Henry de Ferrers.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records a manor of "Bradley" which is thought to have stood in an area of town now known as the Coppice.

It was possibly appropriated by William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby at some time after it was disafforested in 1225 and became part of Duffield Frith.

This would have been the property of Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster who died in 1296, the record of his estate mentioning "a capital mansion".

[5] From at least the 13th century there were forges in the Belper and Duffield areas and iron-working became a major source of income, particularly nail making.

The industrialist Jedediah Strutt, a partner of Richard Arkwright, built a water-powered cotton mill in Belper in the late 18th century: the second in the world at the time.

However elaborately patterned stockings, for ladies especially, were coming into vogue, and the output of the Belper "cheveners" was much in demand.

Demand was such that in 1850, the Belper Gas and Coke Company was formed, with a works in the present Goods Road.

The end of the century also brought the motor car, CH218, owned by Mr. James Bakewell of The Elms being possibly the first.

[6] Before 1983 the town gave its name to the Belper constituency, which from 1945 to 1970 was the seat of George Brown, the deputy leader of the Labour Party.

This is a rural district lying west of the River Derwent and just north of Belper and Mount Pleasant.

Hillside is to the west of Belper Lane End, and contains the highest point of the parish at 214 metres (702 ft).

[12] Belper's economy was traditionally reliant on manufacturing industry and numerous goods were made in the town.

[13] After the Second World War, J. W. Thornton, the chocolate maker, moved into the town from Sheffield, which helped to alleviate the employment problems arising from the contraction of the earlier industries.

They are currently members of the United Counties League Division One and play at Coronation Park the home of Eastwood Town F.C.

[19] Belper Meadows Cricket Club was founded in 1880 and still plays on Christchurch Meadows, formerly the private ground of Mr G H Strutt, which it took as its home when the ground on Derwent Street on which the Belper Cricket Club founded in 1857 had played became unavailable.

[20] Beth's Poetry Trail consists of 20 poems situated in a variety of locations in the town, such as outside Belper Library.

Poems by Emily Dickinson, Philip Larkin and Spike Milligan are included on the trail, as well as Beth's own poetry.

The judges stated "Belper is blessed with a wonderful history as a World Heritage Site but has much to offer as a thriving market town as well."

The judges felt that this outstanding application demonstrates how much more can be done to transform an outwardly successful town centre into a go-to destination for locals and visitors alike."

[22] Belper Singers are an experienced chamber choir of some 25 voices, who sing both sacred and secular works.

Belper is also home to a weekly folk club welcoming singers, instrumentalists, poets, readers and audience members.

Andy Sneap (born in Belper) is a Grammy-winning music producer, songwriter and guitarist with British heavy metal band Hell.

Started by Belper resident Jasper Ward, it was advertised on social media as a means of 'fighting lockdown stress, boredom and loneliness'.

At 6.30pm, every evening, Belper residents were encouraged to mimic a cow's moo from their windows, doorways and gardens while following social distancing guidelines.

[25] Residents uploaded their 'moos' to the internet and a number of creative responses followed including songs, craft projects and poems.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central.

Famous people to have attended the school include Ross Davenport – winner of two swimming gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games – and Alison Hargreaves, holder of a number of mountaineering records.

Belper is twinned with Pawtucket, Rhode Island after Samuel Slater – an apprentice of Jedediah Strutt – went there and founded the American cotton spinning industry.