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,
Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish (1552-1626), was a politician and a supporter of the colonization of Virginia. In 1605 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cavendish, of Hardwicke in the County of Derby, and in 1618 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Devonshire. Both titles are in the Peerage of England. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire, who served as Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire and was a patron of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679). On his early death in 1628 the titles passed to his son, William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of