Despite the relatively overcast weather, we held a successful heritage walk earlier today that explored Francis Thompson’s (1808-1895) scheme of railway workers' cottages and the Brunswick Inn in Derby, which Thompson designed in the 1840s and the Trust successfully renovated in the early 1980s. Maxwell Craven gave an extremely rich account of the history of the site, including the 'rise and demise' of Thompson in his role as in-house architect for the Midland Railway company, whilst Derek Latham talked the group through the trials and tribulations of renovating and developing a scheme of this size and importance. Despite it now being nearly forty years old, it still stands as a shining example of what historic conservation can achieve!