MERCIA MARINA
PLAN YOUR VISIT TO MERCIA MARINA
INFORMATION
Visit: Enjoy the views, take a boat trip, go shopping and relax at one of the food and drink outlets at one of Derbyshire’s most popular tourist destinations.
Refreshments: There are a range of cafes, a pub and restaurants to chose for at Mercia Marina.
Willington: Situated midway between Derby and Burton, close to the A38 and new A50, it is hardly surprising that Willington is usually busy with traffic. It has been the hub for transport for many years and has an absorbing history. The River Trent passes south of the village, and Willington was an important inland port during the 17th and 18th centuries. The arrival of the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1777 replaced the river as the primary form of transport. Later, rail and road took over as the leading transport providers.
Findern: The pretty South Derbyshire village of Findern is situated five miles to the southwest of Derby. Its appearance is enhanced by a traditional village green with chestnut trees, encircled by white posts and chains and overlooked by the church and picturesque, mainly white-washed properties. This century, a village sign has been erected on the green to mark the Millennium and, more recently, a village map.
MERCIA MARINA
The marina was formerly farmland. In the 1980s, John and Michael Thornton purchased it and rented it to a local farmer to grow cereals. This arrangement continued until the mid-1990s, when the building of the A50 started. The land was then used for gravel extraction to construct the carriageway. After that, it was converted into a fishing lake. Before the Thorntons commenced a multi-million-pound project to build Europe’s largest inland marina with 600 berths, holiday lodges and lodges for sale were built alongside the marina. Also, a cafe, sales office and facilities for boaters were erected.
The opening of the first phase of the Boardwalk in 2014 set up the marina as one of the most important tourist attractions in Derbyshire. A promenade of six boutique retailers, with offices above, centres around a two-storey bar and restaurant. The development fronts onto a raised wooden walkway offering terrific views of the water, boats, and wildlife. Three years later, the opening of the Piazza, with an independent gallery, contemporary homeware, hair salon, lady’s fashions, and Indian Restaurant, followed.
In 2025, the demolition of the original buildings commenced to create a further Boardwalk with a cafe, retail space, and office space.
