district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, England. Undulating arable land is interspersed with meadowland in the valleys of the Rivers Derwent, Dove, and Trent, although the Trent valley also has electric-power stations and gravel-extraction sites. Swadlincote is the principal town in the district; using local coal and clay, it manufactures stoneware pipes, pottery, and bricks. Melbourne, a market gardening town, is the birthplace (1808) of Thomas Cook, the pioneer of the railway excursion. The village of Repton is known for its public school and its medieval church. Shardlow, an inland port on the Trent and Mersey Canal, has enjoyed the revival of interest in canal cruising. Area 127 square miles (330 square km). Pop. (2001) 81,571.