Derby Cathedral

Derby Cathedral stands in the centre of Derby, a city in the East Midlands. It is the cathedral church of All Saints, a building whose roots go back to the mid-10th century when it was founded as a royal collegiate church. The present Georgian body of the church was rebuilt by James Gibbs and completed in 1725, while the tower, in Perpendicular Gothic style, dates from the 16th century. On each face of the tower twelve grotesque animal figures look out, and above the west door a Green Man head appears. The tower is built from Ashover Grit sandstone taken from a nearby quarry.

The cathedral holds several notable treasures. A wrought-iron chancel screen by Robert Bakewell, installed in 1730, spans the width of the nave. The monument to Bess of Hardwick, with her effigy, stands inside, and brass memorials record the Cavendish family, later Dukes of Devonshire. Bronze work by Ronald Pope and stained glass by Ceri Richards were added in the 20th century. The cathedral’s clock, with two eight-foot stone dials, was installed in 1927 and its mechanism once used old gun barrels from the 1745 rising.

Visitors enter through iron gates moved here in 1957 and renamed for Queen Elizabeth II. Inside, the Georgian nave is plain and spacious, with the screen and monuments clearly visible. The tower houses the oldest ring of ten bells in the world, most dating from 1678, and a carillon plays different tunes each day at 9 am, 12 noon and 6 pm. The largest bell, over 500 years old, came from Dale Abbey at the Dissolution. From the top of the tower views stretch across Derby’s streets and rooftops.