Overview
- Authorities demolished and flooded Derwent in the 1940s to create Ladybower Reservoir for World War Two industrial water needs, relocating residents and completing the fill by 1945.
- The village church held its final service on 17 March 1943, with its bell later rehung at St Philip's Church in Chaddesden.
- Roughly five original buildings remain above the waterline, including farms and the former village hall.
- Low water has exposed the ruins in notable dry spells, first widely reported in 1976 and most recently in 2018, drawing large crowds.
- The 2018 exposure brought vandalism and artifact removal, led rangers to curb access, and required a 3 November mountain rescue for a man trapped in deep mud.