The park was officially opened by the Duke of Kent in June 1931.
It was originally part of the Markeaton Hall Estate, owned by the Mundy family from 1516. Markeaton Hall and some of its gardens were given to the Corporation in 1929, the remaining parkland was bought in 1930.

The lake was expanded in 1933-34, and was opened in July 1934.

Markeaton Hall was demolished in 1964 and replaced by a landscaped terrace. The Orangery is a grade II listed building and today it is used as a cafeteria.

The former stables are now home to the Markeaton Craft Village, which was set up in 1987. It consists of a number of individual units where visitors are able to watch skilled craftspeople at work, making furniture, pottery, etc.

Markeaton Park Light Railway
The line runs for 1,400 yards between 2 stations in Markeaton Park. The main loco is a
0-4-2T "Markeaton Lady" built by the Exmoor Steam Railway in 1996. There are also three internal combustion engines. First opened in 1989, the line was extended to its present length in 1996. The line operates daily during the summer & during school holidays in the spring, with occasional weekend running during the winter.

Annual Bonfire & fireworks display
Markeaton Park is often used as a venue for the annual Bonfire and Fireworks display, as it is in a good location for people to visit. In November 2005 this event attracted over 35,000 people !

360 degree photos
if you have Quicktime installed then check out my 360 degree QTVR photo of the Orangery on the World Wide Panorama website. Click here to see it.