Devonshire Royal Hospital are now part of the University of Derby. The Devonshire Dome functions as a campus of the University of Derby and of Buxton & Leek College, and as a commercial venue and visitor attraction. As a university campus, it is the base for the University of Derby’s degree programmes in Outdoor Sport and Leadership, Events Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism Management, Professional Culinary Arts, and Spa & Wellness Management. As a commercial venue, it is frequently used for large weddings, and has hosted celebrity weddings, including that of Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson. Open to the public, the space houses cafés, shops,
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire instrumental in the creation of the Derby Museum and Art Gallery in 1836. He also travelled extensively. Devonshire was a close friend of the Prince Regent. Other friends included Antonio Canova and Charles Dickens. Much of Devonshire's private correspondence, including letters to his mistresses (one of whom he installed nearby), was destroyed by his Victorian relatives. He intended to marry Lady Caroline Ponsonby, his cousin, but she married William Lamb, which he found devastating. Devonshire died at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, in January 1858, aged 67, and left an estate valued at £500,000 in his will. As he was unmarried the