Derek Brumhead is a local historian with a particular interest in the industrial heritage of Manchester and the New Mills area of Stockport active from the late 1970s. He is the author and editor of books and pamphlets on the subject, including 'Moving Manchester : aspects of the history of transport in the city and region since 1700', edited by Derek Brumhead and Terry Wyke, and 'Newtown : the growth of an industrial suburb in the nineteenth century', amongst publications.

Brumhead completed a PhD at the University of Manchester in 1996 on the subject of 'The economic history of New Mills in Bowden Middlecale c1640-1876.' In 2005 he was awarded an MBE for his work with the New Mills Local History Society. Brumhead acted as the organisation's administrator and volunteer coordinator.